MQ-9 Reaper

Russian fighter jets were "reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional" before the collision with the MQ-9 Reaper, the U.S. European Command said.

is likely to bolster the number of already-"routine" drone patrols in the region in the wake of the collision. [he added that the U.S. side" after he was summoned to the State Department over the incident. The U.S. Air Force General James Hecker said](https://www.eucom.mil/pressrelease/42314/russian-aircraft-collides-into-us-unmanned-system-in-international-waters) the drone was "intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft," which led to "a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9." "We obviously don't want to see ET over the Black Sea on Tuesday, the U.S. [Russia's defense ministry said on Tuesday](https://t.me/s/mod_russia) that the collision was "a result of sharp maneuvering." ](https://www.eucom.mil/pressrelease/42314/russian-aircraft-collides-into-us-unmanned-system-in-international-waters)"This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional." A U.S. The MQ-9 drone "went into uncontrolled flight with a loss of altitude," before hitting the water. "brought it down."

The MQ-9 Reaper is a more recent and larger variant of the MQ-1 Predator drone, which was utilized by the U.S. Air Force until 2018. The Reapers are swifter ...

The MQ-9 Reaper is a more recent and larger variant of the MQ-1 Predator drone, which was utilized by the U.S. The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said that India has similar capability available – a reference to the Israeli origin Harop/Harpy suicide drones in service – but UAVs are very susceptible to enemy action and have to be part of a larger mix of weapons in any conflict. The United States has utilized these aircraft in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. The United States Air Force asserts that it has a unique capacity to strike, coordinate, and survey high-value, fleeting, and time-sensitive targets, owing to its extensive loiter time, wide-range sensors, multi-mode communication system, and precision weaponry. The Reaper is primarily utilized for gathering intelligence and secondarily for targeting dynamic execution. During the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the Reaper was regularly deployed for surveillance and airstrikes, and it can be equipped with up to eight laser-guided missiles, including Hellfire missiles and other advanced munitions. According to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc, its manufacturer, the drone can travel at a top speed of 275 mph, making it suitable for lengthy missions. A team of pilots and sensor operators stationed on the ground remotely control the Reapers, often from a significant distance away. The cost of each Reaper is roughly $32 million. The aircraft features a 66-foot wingspan, a ground control station, and satellite equipment. The said aircraft would probably be utilized for gathering U.S.

Russia and the US say no weapons were used during the downing of the drone on Tuesday.

Armed with a 30mm cannon that can fire up to 1,500 explosive rounds per minute, the Flanker is more than capable of using weapons to shoot down a slow-moving MQ-9. The plane is designed to stay aloft for up to 30 hours, beyond the limits of most manned aircraft, and being capable of surveying up to 100,000 kilometres a day. The US has lost at least six drones to enemy action, including the latest downing of the MQ-9 reaper. Footage of the blazing $130 million drone plummeting to earth was later released by Iran. This makes any US measures to retaliate against Russia unlikely. That the Russian jet suffered damage is unsurprising.

A Russian fighter jet forced down a US Air Force drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday after damaging the propeller of the American MQ-9 Reaper drone, ...

Price said separately that the US has “engaged at high levels with our allies and partners” to brief them on the incident. Defense Department officials “have not spoken specifically to Russian authorities” on the incident, Ryder said. “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,” Air Force Gen. Hecker, commander of US Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, said in the statement. Patrick Ryder added Tuesday that the Russian aircraft flew “in the vicinity” of the drone for 30 to 40 minutes before colliding just after 7 a.m. The aircraft then hit the propeller of the drone, prompting US forces to bring the MQ-9 drone down in international waters.

A Russian fighter downed a U.S. MQ-9 military drone conducting surveillance in international airspace over the Black Sea Tuesday.

“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,” said U.S. “In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash.” military officials called the incident part of “a pattern of dangerous actions while interacting with U.S. CET, when one of two Russian Su-27 fighters “struck the propeller” of the drone. “This is a very sensitive stage in this conflict because it really is the “Several times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner,” it said, adding, “This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional.”

The Russian downing of a US drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday has prompted a diplomatic spat and a race to recover some highly classified technology.

The US European Command said in its press release on Tuesday that the incident “could lead to miscalculation and unintended escalation.” And what will become of the downed Reaper and its highly classified payload? “They tend to be very professional and safe, but, on occasion, they can be unprofessional.” In other words, the Reaper is both capable of surveilling and striking an enemy. The surveillance and strike platforms saw heavy service in the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tim Thompson, commodore of the US Navy’s Task Force 67, told CNN that year. The aircraft then hit the propeller of the drone, prompting the drone’s remote operators to bring the MQ-9 drone down in international waters. Patrick Ryder added Tuesday that the Russian aircraft flew “in the vicinity” of the drone for 30 to 40 minutes before colliding just after 7 a.m. As of Tuesday evening neither country had recovered the drone, US officials said. The Russians have given a different version of events. But the Air Force has been looking to wind down the production and use of the drones in recent years. The US has said that the drone was in fact flying over international waters when it was downed; interactions between Russian and US operations in that region happen frequently, and it’s unclear whether Moscow intended to down the drone or whether it was simply trying to “buzz” the aircraft – a close fly-by that is done to encourage the drone or plane to move on.

A Russian Su-27 fighter jet struck the propeller of a U.S. military "Reaper" surveillance drone on Tuesday, causing it to crash into the Black Sea in an ...

General Atomics says the MQ-9 has "demonstrated an air-to-air weapons capability" in Air Force tests. The MQ-9 "Reaper" unmanned aerial vehicle can loiter at up to 50,000 feet for more than 27 hours, gathering intelligence with sophisticated cameras, sensors and radars. MQ-9s have also been purchased by the U.S.

The collision marked the first known physical contact between U.S. and Russian forces since the latter's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

[ told Military Times at the time that the drone](https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2022/08/24/military-investigating-air-force-drone-that-crashed-in-libya/) was “operating in support of U.S. “This dangerous and escalatory attack was irresponsible and occurred in the vicinity of established air corridors between Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Muscat, Oman, possibly endangering innocent civilians.” The missile missed by at least 1 kilometer. Colin is also an award-winning photographer. in June 2019 said a Northrop Grumman-made Navy RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drone was hit with an Iranian surface-to-air missile. [ in the Gulf of Oman](https://www.defensenews.com/global/mideast-africa/2023/03/09/gulf-nations-summon-sea-drones-to-curb-illicit-trafficking/). Colin previously covered the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration — namely Cold War cleanup and nuclear weapons development — for a daily newspaper in South Carolina. Air Forces Central Command, Air Force Lt. has such tools to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance, without an apparent Russian response.” [described the attack as unprovoked](https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/1882497/iran-shoots-down-us-global-hawk-operating-in-international-airspace/). Ambassador and Special Envoy to Libya Richard Norland’s diplomatic engagements” when it went down.

Russia has warned the U.S. to cease “hostile” flights near its border after the U.S. military said fighter jets collided with a Reaper drone over the Black ...

The U.S. Putin was losing on the battlefield and so constantly raising the stakes “in the hope of a change in circumstances,” he said. "We proceed from the fact that the United States will refrain from further speculations in the media landscape and stop making sorties near the Russian borders," the Russian ambassador to the U.S. to bring the drone down in international waters, the U.S. “They gather intelligence, which is subsequently used by the Kyiv regime to strike at our armed forces and territory.” A Russian fighter jet harassed and then collided with the propeller of the MQ-9 Reaper on Tuesday, forcing the U.S. He insisted that the Kremlin's fighter jets didn’t hit the American drone or use their weapons. Washington said it was a “brazen violation of international law” and summoned Moscow's envoy to lodge a protest. "We perceive any actions involving the use of American weapons and military equipment as openly hostile," Anatoly Antonov said, according to a statement ship, the officials said. [Turkey](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/isis-stands-gain-potential-turkish-offensive-syria-pentagon-warns-rcna38353), [Ukraine and Russia](https://www.nbcnews.com/investigations/two-ukrainian-pilots-are-us-training-assessment-attack-aircrafts-f-16s-rcna73426), among other countries, according to the U.S. But the incident highlighted the growing tensions over the war in Ukraine, with the Kremlin eager to dissuade the U.S.

The $32 million MQ-9 Reaper drone downed in the Black Sea after a run-in with Russian fighter jets can be fitted with missiles so accurate they can hit ...

'This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional,' said Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Pat Ryder in a press briefing. 'Due to sharp maneuvering, the American drone went into uncontrolled flight with a loss of altitude and collided with the water surface,' the statement added. Pentagon officials said the Russian fighters harassed the drone by dumping fuel on it and flying in front of it, before one Su-27 clipped the propeller of the drone, forcing it down over the Black Sea in a total loss of the unmanned aircraft. The $32 million MQ-9 Reaper drone downed in the Black Sea after a run-in with Russian fighter jets on Tuesday is the same type of aircraft used by the CIA to kill Al Qaeda chief The $32million Reaper drone taken out of the sky by Russia: Unmanned aircraft is fitted with Hellfire missiles, can fly for 20 hours at 300 mph - and was used by the CIA to kill Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri