Posted on 07/25/23
| News Source: FOX News
Russia’s military damaged a U.S. drone that was flying over Syria on Sunday, after a Russian fighter jet flew dangerously near to it and fired flares at the American aircraft, hitting its propeller, U.S. officials said.
United States Air Forces Central said Tuesday that the incident took place as the U.S. MQ-9 Reaper, an unmanned aerial vehicle, was conducting a mission targeting ISIS forces.
"On 23 July, 2023 at 12:23 a.m. (EST) Russian fighter aircraft flew dangerously close to a U.S. MQ-9 drone on a defeat-ISIS mission, harassing the MQ-9 and deploying flares from a position directly overhead, with only a few meters of separation between aircraft," said Lt Gen Alexus Grynkewich, Commander, 9th AF and Combined Forces Air Component. "One of the Russian flares struck the U.S. MQ-9, severely damaging its propeller. Fortunately, the MQ-9 crew was able to maintain flight and safely recover the aircraft to its home base."
"The Russian fighter’s blatant disregard for flight safety detracts from our mission to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS. We call upon the Russian forces in Syria to put an immediate end to this reckless, unprovoked, and unprofessional behavior," Grynkewich added.
Russian fighter jets similarly harassed U.S. drones over Syria earlier this month in a pair of incidents that spanned 24 hours.
On July 6, Russian SU-35 fighters flew dangerously close to and deployed flares near several U.S. drones. A video of the incident was released the day after the U.S. military released similar footage on Wednesday, July 5.