A Russian fighter jet has collided with a US drone, causing the unmanned aircraft to crash into the Black Sea, the American military says.
It says the drone was on a routine mission in international airspace when two Russian jets tried to intercept it.
The US European command said the crash was the result of an “unprofessional act by the Russians”.
US and allied forces will continue to operate in the area, it added. There is no word on the incident from Russia.
“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,” the US statement said.
The engagement began with the Su-27s fighter jets dumping fuel on the drone in a “reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner”.
MQ-9 Reaper drones are large unmanned aircraft with a 20m (66ft) wingspan designed for high-altitude surveillance.
Shashank Joshi, defence editor for the Economist magazine, said the Russians may have been trying to intimidate the drone as it was hoovering up their communications.
For it to be lost completely in an attempted intercept is highly unusual, he notes.
Details later…
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