The United States on Tuesday accused Russian aircraft of having “intercepted and rammed” an American Reaper drone over the Black Sea and caused it to fall, an act described as “reckless” by Washington and raising fears of a dangerous escalation, but which Moscow has denied.
“Our MQ-9 drone was performing routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and rammed by a Russian aircraft, resulting in the crash and loss of the MQ-9,” said General James Hecker, commander of the American air forces in Europe, confirming information revealed earlier by AFP on an incident involving a Reaper in the Black Sea.
It is the first time since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory on February 24, 2022 that a NATO country, supporting Ukraine, has admitted losing equipment operated by itself in this highly flammable region. .
“This is a dangerous and unprofessional act on the part of the Russians”, underlined the senior officer, adding that “the drones of the United States and allies will continue to operate in international airspace”. , and calling on Russians to “behave professionally.”
“The aggressive actions of Russian crews could lead to misunderstandings and an involuntary escalation”, insists the American army in the same press release.
Summons of the ambassador
According to the FlightRadar24 website, a P-8A Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft was circling off the coast of Romania after taking off from Sigonella Air Base, Italy.
A White House spokesman, John Kirby, denounced a “reckless act” on the part of the Russians, noting that there had already been interceptions of American drones by Russian planes in the past, but that this incident was “unique” in that it resulted in the loss of the Reaper.
In protest, the US State Department said it had summoned the Russian ambassador to Washington, while the US ambassador to Moscow sent a message to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
“We are in direct contact with the Russians, at the level of senior officials, in order to convey to them our strong objection to this insecure and unprofessional interception which caused the fall of our drone,” the doorman told the press. -American diplomacy spokesman, Ned Price.
The Russian army, however, denied having caused the fall of the device, while acknowledging that two of its hunters had intercepted the American drone on Tuesday.
“Following a brutal maneuver […]the MQ-9 drone began an uncontrolled flight with a loss of altitude and hit the surface of the water,” the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that its two fighters did not fire and had no “contact” with the drone.
Regular interactions in the Black Sea
The skies of the Black Sea are the scene of very regular interactions between drones and aircraft from NATO countries and the Russian armed forces, especially since the start of the war in Ukraine.
“With the current crisis, we have an increase in the number of reconnaissance vectors to Crimea, with Reaper, which we did not have before. And depending on the situation, it can piss off the Russians. Especially since there have been activities of Western collections which participate in targeting for Ukraine, ”underlines a French expert on condition of anonymity.
Ukraine’s Western allies, who have been delivering arms to Kiev since the start of the conflict to help it defend itself, are not directly involved on Ukrainian territory, for fear of an escalation with Russian nuclear power.
Thus, “it is possible that the diplomatic channels mitigate the event”, had estimated earlier a Western military source.
The Reaper drone, manufactured by the American company General Atomics, is a remotely piloted aircraft of the MALE type (medium altitude long endurance), equipped with state-of-the-art on-board sensors to carry out surveillance operations at a cruising speed of 335 km/ h.
With a wingspan of 20 meters, it has an autonomy of more than 24 hours of flight and can carry several types of armament. Its ground crew consists of 4 people.