Pentagon releases new video of Russian jet dumping fuel on US drone
The Pentagon has released footage of what it says is a Russian aircraft conducting an unsafe intercept of a U.S.
Air Force surveillance drone.
The incident occurred over the Black Sea, where a Russian warplane collided with the drone, causing it to crash into the sea.
Russia is currently trying to recover the wreckage, but U.S.
defense officials have stated that the drone’s sensitive information has already been wiped.
The released video captures Russian military jets interfering with the U.S.
Reaper drone, with Russian warplanes appearing to spray fuel on the drone multiple times before colliding with its rear propeller.
The Pentagon has called this incident part of a recent pattern of aggressive behavior involving Russian fighter pilots.
The U.S.
and Russian military officials have been in communication, but Russia maintains that the drone was flying in restricted Russian airspace, while the U.S.
claims that it was flying in unrestricted international airspace.
Defense Secretary Austin has called the drone interception reckless and has urged Russia to operate its military aircraft in a safe and professional manner.
Despite the release of the video footage, Russia’s defense ministry denies that its fighter jets made any contact with the drone and continues to claim that the drone lost control due to sharp maneuvers.
U.S.
defense officials have stated that even if Russian officials are able to recover the wreckage, they would only find little to no intelligence.
