Latest! Russian fighter jet hits US military's "Grim Reaper" drone Russia | drone | US military
According to a report by the Associated Press in Washington, D.C. on July 25th, the US military said on the 25th that a Russian fighter jet flew close to a US drone within a few meters of Syria and fired a heat decoy at it, hitting the drone and causing damage to it.
A senior commander of the US Air Force said that the Russian side attempted to shoot down the US MQ-9 Reaper drone. Just a week ago, a Russian fighter jet approached a US reconnaissance plane carrying out a mission in the area in a dangerous manner, endangering the lives of four American crew members.
The report states that the US Air Force stated in a statement: "A heat bomb launched by Russia hit a US drone, severely damaging its propeller." "We call on the Russian military in Syria to immediately end this reckless, unprofessional, and unprofessional behavior."
The US stated that at that time, the control personnel remotely controlled the drone to return to the base.
The incident is the latest in a series of dangerous encounters between Russian fighter jets and American planes flying over Syria.
Except for the incident a week ago, the US is carrying out missions using MQ-9 drones. However, last week, Russia's Su-35 fighter jet approached an American reconnaissance aircraft carrying crew members.
US officials at the time stated that this was a significant escalation of a series of standoffs between US and Russian aircraft in Syria. Such incidents may lead to accidents or cause casualties. The US accuses Russia of "hindering the crew's ability to safely operate the aircraft.".
According to reports, US officials say that in recent weeks, Russian fighter jets have repeatedly harassed US MQ-9 drones, forcing them to take evasive actions.
Currently, there are approximately 900 US troops stationed in Syria. There are also some people entering and exiting Syria to carry out missions against armed militants of the Islamic State organization.
It was also reported on the website of Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao on July 26 that the US Air Force said on the 25th that a Russian fighter hit a US drone with a thermal decoy when it was "flying dangerously" over Syria on the 23rd.
According to reports, the US Air Force stated in a statement: "On the 23rd, Russian fighter jets dangerously approached and harassed a US military MQ-9 drone on a mission to attack ISIS, firing heat decoys from directly above. One of the heat decoys hit MQ-9, severely damaging its propeller."
The MQ-9 Reaper drone is an armed drone designed specifically for long-term high-altitude reconnaissance missions.
US officials say that in the past few months, the frequency of dangerous encounters between Russian fighter jets and US aircraft over Syria has increased. US military officials say it is currently unclear what caused Russia to increase its "aggressive" actions over Syria.