The US Air Force showed video of a Russian Su-27 fighter jet colliding with a US MQ-9 Reaper UAV over the Black Sea on 14 March

The US Air Force has released video of an incident involving a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea on 14 March.

Here's What We've Seen

The video confirms previously published information that the Su-27 flew unsafely over the drone several times and dropped fuel on it. During the last attempt, the Russian fighter pilot hit the drone's propeller. Because of this, the US military had to shoot down the MQ-9 Reaper and then remotely destroy the sensitive technology and data the UAV was storing. Incidentally, after the incident, the US summoned the Russian ambassador to the State Department.

Flashback

The MQ-9 Reaper is a reconnaissance strike UAV developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for the US Air Force, US Navy and British Air Force. It is based on the MQ-1 Predator. The first flight of the drone took place on February 2, 2001. The UAV is equipped with a turboprop engine, through which the MQ-9 Reaper reaches speeds of over 400 kilometres per hour. The UAV can fly up to an altitude of 13 kilometers and a range of up to 1,900 kilometers. The drone is capable of remaining in the air for up to 24 hours. The MQ-9 Reaper is equipped with air-to-ground missiles AGM-114 Hellfire, as well as Mark 82 bombs. By the way, the cost of one such UAV is $10-30 million (price depends on the version).

Source: dvidshub