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Amidst the Ukraine and Russia war, an encounter between Russia and US has come up. Two Russian SU-27 fighter jets have hit American Drone MQ-9 over the Black sea. It has damaged the aircraft to an extent that it is “uncontrollable and unflyable” as declared by the US Forces. The force had to crash the aircraft into the Black Sea so that it is not recovered by the Russian forces.
US Drone crashed down
Pentagon stated, “Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9.”
According to the reports, Russian aircraft thrashed the unmanned aircraft intentionally to put it down. Also, before the collision SU-27s dumped fuel on the drone to disrupt its working. The US said that it was done in a “reckless, environmentally unsound, and unprofessional manner”.
Acting upon the matter, the nation has also called for the Russian ambassador to Washington to protest against the matter.
However, US and allied aircraft will continue to operate in international airspace and they call on the Russians to conduct themselves professionally and safely, said US Air Force General James Hecker, commander of US Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa.
Russia’s action justified
Opposing the statements issued by the US and its officials, Russia explains the matter differently by saying that the drone came down only after a ‘sharp maneuver’. They contradict that the two aircrafts did not make any direct contact with the aircraft.
Adding to their clarification, they highlighted the fact that the aircraft was flying while keeping its transponders off. (transponders are the aircraft’s communication that allows tracking of the aircraft)
Since the war is going on in Ukraine and Russia, Russia has been on guard against the actions of the US and NATO in its surroundings. This incident depicts the increasing risk of direct tensions between the United States and Russia.
