Leonkov: Su-27 could accidentally “blow away” the American Reaper UAV with a powerful air flow
A U.S. drone that was conducting reconnaissance near Russian borders in the Crimea region could fall into the Black Sea after accidentally being exposed to a powerful air flow from Russian Su-27 engines while performing a maneuver. Possible cause of the crash RIA News named military analyst Alexei Leonkov.
“I think that this impact happened by chance. The situation is as follows: an aircraft-type aerial target with a wingspan of 20 meters with transponders turned off is approaching the borders of Russia at a speed of 400 kilometers per hour. The Su-27 flew up, made sure that it was a drone, turned back and “blew it away” with an air jet, ”the expert specified.
According to Leonkov, in this situation, the UAV operator would hardly have been able to react quickly. If the American Reaper flew autonomously, then he had practically no chance to dodge. The drone had a propeller engine, there is an air intake – “probably the propeller was damaged and the UAV fell,” the agency’s interlocutor suggested.
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On March 14, information appeared about a collision between an American drone and a Russian fighter jet over the Black Sea. Later, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that an American-made MQ-9 drone fell in the Black Sea. The ministry also clarified that the Russian fighters raised to intercept did not come into contact with the UAV, did not use weapons. According to the Ministry of Defense, the drone began to sharply maneuver, lost control and fell into the water.
On the same day, the American side accused Russia of deliberately destroying the drone. The MQ-9 was conducting a routine operation in international airspace, said General James Hecker, commander of the US Air Force in Europe and Africa.
At the same time, the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the situation, said that it was not necessary to fly where it was not supposed to.
On March 15, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, during a telephone conversation with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, said that the flights of American Global Hawk UAVs off the coast of Crimea create a danger of escalation.
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