What is the MQ-9 Reaper, the American drone that was attacked by a Russian plane over the Black Sea

And russian fighter plane collided with a American surveillance drone on the Black Seaforcing it to fall into international waters, according to the US military.

The staff of the air force who operated the drone, named MQ-9 Mower, shot it down after Russian-registered SU-27 fighters dumped fuel on the plane and one of them collided with the plane’s propeller. combineaccording to statements by US officials.

Russia has denied any responsibility and claimed that its planes did not come into contact with the American drone.

The incident would be the first direct confrontation between Washington and Moscow since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began last year.

Here’s what we know so far about the drone MQ-9 Harvester:

The Reaper is used by the the american air force collect intelligence information and perform surveillance tasks, search and rescue missions and precise strikes against sensitive targetsaccording to an official statement.

Drones carried out missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, among other countries, and are operated remotely by a two-person team from 20 bases in 17 states. One of them commands the mission and controls the drone, while the other activates the sensors and guides the weapons.

The aircraft can also hold up to eight missiles laser guided, 16 Hellfire missiles and until 1,300 pounds of fuel. This keeps you in the air for 1,150 miles and fly at an altitude of up to 50,000 pies. In 2018, the MQ-9 Mower they flew in total 325,000 hours.

There the american air force hiring General atomics build more than 360 reapers since the program began in 2007. A single Reaper drone costs approximately $30 millionaccording to a report by Congressional Research Service released last year.

The drone has 36 feet long, a wingspan of 66 feet and a payload of 3,750 pounds. The MQ-9 is an updated version of the MQ-1 Predator, it was introduced in the 1990s. The Reaper has an engine about eight times more powerful and 13 feet longer. The updated drone also has infrared sensors and cameras and a laser range finder to locate targets.

In the designation of Department of Defensethe “M” stands for multirole, the “Q” denotes a remotely piloted aircraft system, and the “9” indicates that it is the ninth in the series.

The aircraft was “performing routine operations in international airspacewhen he was hit by the Russian SU-27, said in a statement the general James B. Heckera senior officer responsible for supervising the operations of the air force In the region. “Actually, this unprofessional act on the part of the Russians almost caused the crash of the two planes”.

A press release from United States European Command said the incident is the latest in a “series of dangerous actions by Russian pilots when interacting with American and allied aircrafton the Black Sea.

“it’s not newsaid Philip Breedlove, a retired general from the air force and former Supreme Allied Commander of the I WILL TAKE. Clashes between Russia and the United States in the Black Sea “have been going on for some time. They performed regularly.

It is not known where the incident over the Black Sea took place or what mission the drone was carrying out. US military officials also did not specify what other recent actions by the Russian pilots fit into the pattern of dangerous activity they described.

A Pentagon spokesman, Air Force Brigadier General patrick rydertold reporters that the two Su-27s were first seen near the MQ-9 about 30–40 minutes before the American pilots shot down the Reaper. He declined to say if the drone was armed, what its mission was or where it landed in the Black Sea.

Breedlove said that although there is no evidence yet to suggest the collision was deliberate, intentional downing of a US drone would have potentially troubling consequences.

The US and NATO, while arming Ukraine and regularly providing intelligence to kyiv, claim they are not directly involved in the war. Moscow describes these actions as a Western attempt to destroy Russia.

“It could be as simple as poor aerial skills, lack of professionalism”, says Breedlove.

U.S. European Command said in a press release that the actions of the Russian crew could cause an “unintended escalation”.

The United States and its allies plan to continue operating in international airspace, Hecker added.

The Russian Defense Ministry denied hitting the MQ-9Instead, he claimed that the Russian pilots observed the drone in “uncontrolled flightbefore he crashed into the sea.

“The Russian fighters did not use aerial weapons, did not come into contact with the drone and returned safely to their air base.officials said in a statement.

In Washington, the Russian ambassador was summoned to the state department. Ned Price, a department spokesman, told reporters that Lynne M. Tracy, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, conveyed the Biden administration’s “strong objections” to the Moscow Foreign Ministry.

As of Tuesday evening, nothing had been recovered from the drone at the crash site.

(c) 2023, The Washington Post

Continue reading: