The Russian Su-27 aircraft can be seen dumping fuel prior to crashing into the U.S. drone. Gif: U.S. European Command/Gizmodo
Two days ago, the U.S. Armed Forces claimed that a Russian Su-27 aircraft crashed into a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 drone over the Black Sea, causing the MQ-9 to fall into the water below. Today, U.S. European Command has released declassified footage of the incident.
CC Off English
The initial report from U.S. European Command said that the crash happened at 7:03 a.m. Central European Time, or 2:03 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, on Tuesday morning. The Russian Su-27 aircraft reportedly dumped fuel from its tanks “several times before the collision,” says the U.S. Air Forces in Europe. U.S. European Command further claimed that it was conducting “routine operations in international airspace” and that Russia’s intercept was an “unsafe and unprofessional intercept.”
CC Off English Russian Jet Crashes Into U.S. Drone
In the video, the Russian Su-27 can be seen approaching the drone’s starboard side, and—according to U.S. Armed Forces—dumping fuel before slamming into the MQ-9. The video then gets staticky in the wake of the impact before the camera pans to the fuselage and tail of the drone, likely to assess damage. U.S. Air Forces Europe also claimed that
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