2023 Black Sea drone incident

2023 Black Sea drone incident
Part of the Russo-Ukrainian War

A Su-27 approaching the drone on the footage released by the US
Date14 March 2023
Location
Black Sea, near Crimea
Result Damage to the propeller of an American drone and subsequent crashing of the drone (according to the Pentagon)
Belligerents
 Russia  United States
Strength
2 Su-27 fighter jets 1 MQ-9 Reaper drone
Casualties and losses
None One drone lost

On the morning of 14 March 2023, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted and damaged an American MQ-9 Reaper drone, causing it to crash into the Black Sea.[1] This became the first direct contact between the Russian and United States Air Forces since the Cold War.[2]

The US Air Force called this "reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional".[3] The Russian Defense Ministry said no aircraft touched and no weapons were used,[4] however it rewarded pilots with medals for "preventing" an American drone from "violating Russia's temporary airspace".[5]

  1. ^ Stewart, Phil; Ali, Idrees; Stewart, Phil; Ali, Idrees (14 March 2023). "US military drone crashes into Black Sea after Russian intercept". Reuters. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Ukraine updates: US summons Russian ambassador over drone". dw.com. 14 March 2023. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023.
  3. ^ Liebermann, Oren; Hansler, Jennifer; Britzky, Haley; Bertrand, Natasha (14 March 2023). "Russian fighter jet forces down US drone over Black Sea after intercept | CNN Politics". CNN. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Russia awards pilots from US drone crash". Agence France-Presse. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023 – via South China Morning Post.