US drone crashes in Black Sea
Xinhua News Agency, Moscow, March 14 (Reporter Huang He) The Russian Ministry of Defense issued a statement on its official website on the evening of the 14th, saying that an American MQ-9 drone crashed into the Black Sea after losing control due to violent aerial maneuvers that day.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that earlier on the 14th, the Russian Air Force discovered an American MQ-9 drone over the Black Sea waters around the Crimea Peninsula. The drone was flying towards the Russian border at that time. Transponder is off.
The fighter plane of the Russian Air Force on duty took off to identify the aircraft intruding into the airspace. The drone lost control due to violent maneuvers, lost altitude rapidly and fell into the water.
The Russian fighter plane did not use its airborne weapons, did not come into contact with the U.S. drone, and returned safely to the airport where it was stationed.
The U.S. European Command issued a statement on the 14th saying that a U.S. MQ-9 UAV was intercepted by two Russian Su-27 fighter jets over the Black Sea that day. The drone crashed in the waters of the Black Sea.
Before the collision, two Su-27 fighter jets "repeatedly dumped fuel on the U.S. drone and flew in front of it."
Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator of the US National Security Council, told the media that the US President's National Security Affairs Assistant Sullivan had reported the incident to President Biden earlier in the day, and the US State Department will express concerns about the incident to Russia.
Kirby said there have been incidents of Russian fighter jets intercepting U.S. aircraft in recent weeks, but this is the first time a U.S. drone has crashed.
(Participating reporter: Deng Xianlai)