U.S. Drone Forced Down By Russian Fighter Jet Near Ukraine

A Russian fighter jet collided with a U.S. surveillance drone that was conducting operations in international airspace near Ukraine, according to U.S. officials. The drone’s propeller was apparently damaged in the incident and the U.S. forced down its own aircraft into the Black Sea.

The Russian jet, identified as an Su-27, “dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9” drone, according to U.S. officials who called the moves “reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional.”

“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,” U.S. Air Force Gen. James B. Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, said in a statement published online.

The U.S. called the incident an “unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians” because it nearly caused both aircraft to crash. But the incident does raise questions about the potential for the current war in Ukraine to turn into a shooting war between the U.S. and Russia, a danger that runs the risk of both nuclear powers turning something small into World War III.

The U.S. regularly conducts surveillance in the region “over sovereign territory and throughout international airspace,” according to the Pentagon, that’s “in coordination with applicable host nation and international laws.” And while the U.S. argues everything is justified and normal, Americans would likely have a different attitude about the kinds of surveillance being conducted if it was being done by a foreign adversary in a neighboring country like Cuba, as just one example with obvious historical parallels.

“U.S. and Allied aircraft will continue to operate in international airspace and we call on the Russians to conduct themselves professionally and safely,” Gen. Hecker said in a statement.