The Pentagon launched the MQ-9 video exhibiting the Su-27 Flanker making one move dumping gasoline and one other move resulting in the collision.
As already reported on Mar. 14, 2023, a Russian Su-27 Flanker fighter jet and a US MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft had been concerned in an inflight collision over the Black Sea. The mid-air collision broken the American unmanned plane and the U.S. Air Drive was pressured to ditch in worldwide waters.
“At roughly 7:03 AM (CET), one of many Russian Su-27 plane struck the propeller of the MQ-9, inflicting U.S. forces to need to carry the MQ-9 down in worldwide waters. A number of occasions earlier than the collision, the Su-27s dumped gasoline on and flew in entrance of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional method. This incident demonstrates an absence of competence along with being unsafe and unprofessional,” stated the U.S. European Command in a public assertion.
Ultimately, the video of the intercept was launched by the U.S. DoD.
It’s only a 42-second clip, that mainly reveals a Su-27 approaching the MQ-9 from astern and starting to dump gasoline. At about 00:09 mark, the Flanker flies over the MQ-9 nonetheless dumping gasoline. The stay video transmission is disrupted however the MQ-9 later seems to stay undamaged. Later you possibly can see a Russian Su-27 on a second method in direction of the MQ-9. Once more, the Flanker dumps gasoline however the move is nearer and at 00:29 the digicam feed is misplaced as the 2 plane appear to collide. When the feed is restored, we are able to get a view on the propellers of the Reaper and one seems to be bent.
In short, the video confirms the accounts supplied by the U.S. officers after the incident, who had claimed the Su-27s to have carried out the intercept in “unprofessional method”. It additionally appears to recommend that the collision didn’t happen deliberately nevertheless it was most likely attributable to the Russian pilot who misjudged the maneuver and ultimately hit the Reaper (placing additionally the Flanker at severe danger).
As a aspect word, this video doesn’t present sufficient particulars to permit us to substantiate that one other quick clip, posted yesterday by the favored pro-Russian Fighterbomber account on Telegram, and exhibiting a Flanker doing a detailed flyby of a U.S. Air Drive MQ-9, was actually taken on the day of the incident; it’s price highlighting right here that there’s some individuals who stated it was filmed throughout one other shut encounter over the Black Sea or elsewhere, whereas there are additionally individuals who recommend it might be faux – i.e. created utilizing CGI or a flight simulator, though the consultants consensus is that the video is real.
David Cenciotti is a journalist primarily based in Rome, Italy. He’s the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of many world’s most well-known and skim navy aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for main worldwide magazines, together with Air Forces Month-to-month, Fight Plane, and lots of others, protecting aviation, protection, battle, trade, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown a number of fight planes with completely different air forces. He’s a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Drive, a personal pilot and a graduate in Pc Engineering. He has written 5 books and contributed to many extra ones.
