Russian jets closed to within a few meters of a US MQ Reaper drone that was taking part in an antiISIS mission over Syria. One of the jets began dropping flares in front of the US drone severely damaging its propellor. The drones crew was able to control the aircraft and fly it back to its home base. The Russian fighters blatant disregard for flight safety detracts from our mission to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS said the commander of Air Force Central Command Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich. Encounters between Russian fighter jets and US drones operating over Syria have become increasingly common. The two militaries both operate in the country but for different purposes. The US military is part of the ongoing campaign to defeat ISIS while the Russian military supports Syrias Assad regime. Last week Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said US analysts are examining the potential reasons behind the uptick in aggressive Russian actions. Some of the incidents over Syria has lasted as long as two hours US officials said. In a similar encounter over the Black Sea in March a Russian Su fighter jet struck the same type of US drone damaging the propellor and forcing it down in the water. And on July a senior US defense official said another Russian fighter jet flew near an Mq Reaper drone over Syria in an unprofessional manner. The following day a Russian jet once again harassed three MQ drones conducting close passes and forcing the drones to react to avoid unsafe situations. Following the incident the drones carried out a strike against a senior ISIS leader. One Russian jet lit its afterburner in. front of aUS drone. The video then shows the jet dropping flares near the drone. On Wednesday July th three Russian jets harassed three US drones flying over Syria and forced the operators of the unmanned aircraft to take evasive maneuvers. One day later another Russian jet began dropping flare in front. of a U.S. drone as it was conducting a mission against ISIS targets. The videos show two Russian jets flying near a US drone when one drops flares in an apparent attempt to hit the drone and the other one drops parachute flares in a similar manner. And the video shows the Russian jet drawing closer as it approaches from behind and then the jet drops flares on the drone as the drone takes evasive action to avoid being hit by the flares. The drone then takes off in an attempt to avoid the flares and the incident is captured on video. The incident was captured by the US Air Force and released by the Air Force on its YouTube channel on Sunday. It is the latest in a series of incidents between the two military in the Middle East. The incidents are said to have taken place over Syria over the past few weeks and have lasted up to two hours and have been filmed by the U.F.A.C. and the Russian Air Force. The U.N. has condemned the Russian actions as ‘unprofessional’ and ‘disrespectful’ in a statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Russian fighter jet damages US military drone over Syria. U.S. military drone was shot down by a Russian fighter jet over Syria last week.
