(REUTERS/Janis Laizans/File Photo)
Two Russian Su-27 aircraft “conducted an unsafe and unprofessional intercept” of an unmanned U.S. Air Force aircraft over the Black Sea Tuesday, striking its propeller and causing it to crash, U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) announced Tuesday.
The incident led to a “complete loss” of the U.S. MQ-9, an Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance aircraft, Gen. James B. Hecker, the commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, said.
The commander said the drone was completing routine operations in international airspace when the Russian aircraft conducted the unsafe and unprofessional behavior.