Black Sea. International waters off the Romanian coast. A Russian fighter jet downed a U.S. Air Force drone after damaging the propeller of the American MQ-9 Reaper drone. The Reaper drone and two Russian Su-27 aircraft were flying over international waters over the Black Sea when one of the Russian jets intentionally flew in front of it and dumped fuel on the unmanned drone several times, according to a statement from the U.S. European Command. The aircraft then struck the drone’s propeller, prompting U.S. forces to shoot down the MQ-9 drone in international waters. Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder added that the Russian aircraft flew “in the vicinity” of the drone for 30-40 minutes before colliding with it.
