Russian Aircraft Collides With US Drone: Here's The Latest From The Pentagon

A U.S. drone has been taken down in international waters after it collided with a Russian aircraft Tuesday. 

The collision occurred over the Black Sea, per the Pentagon.

A Russian Su-27 aircraft struck the propeller of a U.S. MQ-9 drone, causing U.S. forces to have to bring the MQ-9 down in international waters, according to a Politico reporter citing U.S. European Command, a unit of the U.S. military.

BREAKING: This morning, a Russian Su-27 aircraft struck the propeller of a U.S. MQ-9 drone, causing U.S. forces to have to bring the MQ-9 down in international waters, according to @US_EUCOM.

— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) March 14, 2023

“This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional,” said the EUCOM, which is responsible for U.S. military operations in the region.

EUCOM, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, surveys some 21 million square miles and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russia and Greenland.

This marks the first direct military interaction between the U.S. and Russia since Vladimir Putin first launched an attack on Ukraine in early 2022.

The so-called Reaper drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can travel up to 300 miles per hour.

The two Russian jet fighters reportedly dumped fuel on the drone and wound up clipping the UAV's propeller, which sent it crashing down. Both Russian fighters survived the incident.

This type of UAV patrol is considered a routine operation.

The Reaper drone sends back live video of everything it sees to the military. It remains to be seen whether the Pentagon releases the video.

San Diego-based General Atomics manufactures Reaper drones. In February, the company offered to supply the UAVs to Ukraine with permission from the U.S. government.

More updates to follow.