Russian Su-27 Collides with US MQ-9 Reaper
A United States Air Force MQ-9A Reaper uncrewed aerial vehicle was intercepted and struck by a Russian Air Force Su-27 on Tuesday morning over the Black Sea, the US Department of Defense announced.
Two Russian Air Force Su-27s followed the MQ-9 as it flew in international airspace for between 30 and 40 minutes prior to the collision at 7:03 AM Central European Time, Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said on Tuesday. One of the two Su-27 fighter jets collided with the drone’s propeller, which led the Air Force to make the decision to crash the UAV into the sea the condition of the Reaper was described as ‘a complete loss’. Prior to the collision, United States European Command stated that the Su-27s “dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner.” The Su-27s were able to land safely after the collision.
The Russian Ministry of Defense wrote on Telegram that the American drone was in violation of published notices about Russian control of the airspace near the Ukrainian coast, which led them to launch two fighter jets to investigate. The Russian MoD claims that there was no collision between its aircraft and the drone; that as a result of “sharp manuevering”, the drone went into an uncontrolled descent before crashing into the water. Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, said in a statement that the Reaper had moved “deliberately and provocatively towards the Russian territory with its transponders turned off” describing the drone’s movements as ‘unacceptable actions’. Russian social media posts claim that the Russian military had retrieved the wreckage of the downed MQ-9.
Department of Defense Press Secretary Ryder stated that the drone was “conducting an [Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance] mission in international airspace”. Neither DoD nor European Command stated where the MQ-9 was flying from, or whether it had weapons on board. MQ-9 ISR flights in the Black Sea are frequently flown out of Sigonella Air Base in Italy, and Air Base 71 in Câmpia Turzii, Romania. In July of last year, we reported that one of the American MQ-9 drones at Air Base 71 crashed in a field a short distance from the base.
Air Base 71 is a likely candidate for the origin of the drone flight, given its close proximity to the Black Sea. A flight from one of the MQ-9s at the base appeared on public flight tracking websites earlier this month, a first since the drones were stationed at the base in March 2021, and for Reaper flights in general over the Black Sea.
American aircraft, both crewed and uncrewed, have flown missions over the Black Sea with the purpose of collecting intelligence on Russian movements and operations in Ukraine and the Black Sea for years. These surveillance flights escalated prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In the time these flights have been occurring, it has not been unheard of for them to be flanked by Russian fighter jets. This is the first time it has been reported that a collision occurred during the interception, and the first time an aircraft has been lost.
Update – 16 March
US European Command has released a sequential montage of clips filmed by the Reaper’s onboard camera. The footage shows the Russian aircraft making multiple runs at the UAV and dumping fuel.
The last clip shows the collision, with the camera momentarily going down before it continues working and showa one of the drone’s props has been damaged.