US may abandon drone use over the Black Sea after MQ-9 Reaper is destroyed

A few days ago, the actions of Russian Su-27 pilots led to the crash of an American MQ-9 Reaper drone. The US Department of Defense is now considering abandoning the use of drones over the Black Sea.

Here's What We Know

The MQ-9 Reaper incident occurred on 14 March. One of the Russian fighters snagged the propeller of the drone with its wing, causing the Americans to have to sink their drone into the sea. The Pentagon later published video of the aircraft's collision with the UAV.

Now the US military is considering abandoning operations in the Black Sea altogether. The US Defense Department wants to assess the benefits of drone flights in the region and compare it with the risk of escalating conflict with the Russian Federation.

According to CNN, some officials fear that cancelling operations in the Black Sea would have a negative impact on information gathering related to the war in Ukraine. Although it should not be forgotten that the US has other ways to get the data it needs. For example, with the help of satellites. But in any case, one drone will make at least one flight to the MQ-9 Reaper crash site.

Source: CNN