Intercepted By Two Russian Sukhoi Fighter Jets, United States Military Drones Fall Into The Black Sea

Illustration of the MQ-9 drone United States. (Wikimedia Commons/US Air Force/Lawrence Crespo)

JAKARTA - A US military MQ-9-type reconnaissance drone crashed into the Black Sea on Tuesday after being intercepted by Russian fighter jets, in an incident that first occurred since Russia's invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago.

The Pentagon said one of Russia's Su-27 jets hit the drone's propellers, preventing it from being operational. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense blamed a "sharp maneuver" for the drone crash, saying that its fighter jets had not made contact.

While there were no casualties, the incident increased the risk of a direct confrontation between the United States and Russia over Ukraine, which Moscow was invasing more than a year ago and supported by Western allies with intelligence and weapons.

NATO's Supreme Ally Commander in Europe, US Army General Christopher Cavoli, briefed NATO allies on the incident, which the White House and Pentagon criticized - where officials warned of an escalation risk.

Two Russian Su-27 fighter jets did what the US military described as reckless interception of American spy crewed aircraft. It said Russian fighter jets dumped fuel into MQ-9 - perhaps trying to blind or damage it - and fly in front of it with unsafe maneuvers.

After about 30 to 40 minutes, at 7:03 a.m. (06:03 a.m. GMT), one of the fighter jets then collided with the drone, causing it to fall, the US military said.

"Our MQ-9 aircraft were carrying out routine operations in international airspace when intercepted and hit by Russian aircraft, resulting in the crash of the MQ-9 aircraft," US Air Force General James Hecker, who oversaw the US Air Force in the region, said in a statement.

"In fact, Russia's unsafe and unprofessional actions almost caused the two planes to crash," he criticized.

However, Russia's Ministry of Defense denied that the plane was in contact. They said that the US drone entered the water as a result of a "sharp maneuver" and said the plane was flying in a turned off runway.

"Russian warplanes do not use weapons on board, do not come into contact with UAVs, and return safely to their air bases," the ministry said.

The Pentagon declined to say whether they would try to recover the MQ-9 debris, but noted that Russia had not done so.

"To my knowledge at this time, Russia has not found the plane," said Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General PatrickRIDer.

The Pentagon did not say whether the drone was armed, where exactly the plane flew, or provided details about its mission, in addition to saying that the aircraft carried out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance activities.

The Black Sea is located between Europe and Asia and borders several countries, including Ukraine. The Russian ministry said the drone was detected over the sea near the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

The MQ-9 Drone, created by General Atomics, has a wingspan of 66 feet (20 meters) and is about 36 feet (11 meters) long. This drone weighs about 4,900 pounds (2,220 kg) when it is empty.