A Russian fighter jet has collided with a US drone, inflicting the unmanned plane to crash into the Black Sea, the American army says.
It says the drone was on a routine mission in worldwide airspace when two Russian jets tried to intercept it.
The US European Command mentioned the crash on Tuesday was the results of an “unprofessional act by the Russians”.
US and allied forces will proceed to function within the space, it added. There isn’t any phrase on the incident from Russia.
“Our MQ-9 plane was conducting routine operations in worldwide airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian plane, leading to a crash and full lack of the MQ-9,” the US assertion mentioned.
A number of occasions earlier than the collision the Su-27 fighter jets dumped gas on the drone in a “reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional method”.
MQ-9 Reaper drones are giant unmanned plane with a 20m (66ft) wingspan designed for high-altitude surveillance.
Shashank Joshi, defence editor for the Economist journal, mentioned the Russians could have been attempting to intimidate the drone because it was hoovering up their communications.
For it to be misplaced fully in an tried intercept is very uncommon, he notes.