Russia wants to study downed US MQ-9 Reaper drone to the last bolt

By: Maksim Panasovskiy | 27.03.2023, 23:00

The Russian company Rostec said it wanted to study the wreckage of the MQ-9 Reaper drone. The drone fell into the Black Sea after making contact with an Su-24 fighter jet.

Here's What We Know

Representatives of a Russian company say the wreckage of the drone, developed by General Atomics, is of interest to the country's defence and industrial complex. According to them, a find like the MQ-9 Reaper needs to be disassembled and studied to the last bolt.

The reconnaissance drone crashed on March 14, 2023. A few days later, the US Department of Defense released a video that shows the MQ-9 Reaper colliding with a Russian fighter jet.

Interestingly, Russian officials claim that the planes did not make contact with the drone. The defence ministry claims that the Reaper was flying in Russian-controlled airspace with its transponders turned off. During a sharp manoeuvre, the drone lost control and crashed into the sea.

Source: TASS