New Delhi: The United States today released a minute-long declassified video footage of what it called an “unsafe/unprofessional interception” of a US Air Force MQ-9 in international airspace over the Black Sea. 14.
Footage posted on Twitter by the U.S. European Command shows a Russian jet approaching the rear of a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 unmanned drone, which begins to release fuel as it passes over it. The video transmission stopped abruptly when the Russian jet passed by. The drone’s propeller can be seen intact, and seconds later the Russian jet begins a second approach towards it. This time when it gets even closer it releases fuel onto it again. After the second maneuver one of the propellers was seen damaged.

A Russian warplane on Tuesday refueled a US drone and crashed it, causing the drone to crash, the US military said, slamming the maneuver as “irresponsible”.

The US military said that “several times prior to the conflict, the Su-27s dumped fuel and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner”.

Moscow has denied the drone crashed, saying it was on a routine ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) mission.

“As a result of a sharp maneuver … the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle lost altitude and entered an uncontrolled flight and crashed into the surface of the water,” the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that the two Russian jets were not involved. Contact with American aircraft and not using their weapons.