An American MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle was damaged in Syria. It was attacked by a Russian fighter jet.
The incident occurred at night on July 23. The Russian fighter jet flew in dangerous proximity to the American MQ-9 Reaper drone, which was conducting a counterterrorism mission against the Islamic State group.
According to the U.S. Air Force Central, the drone was attacked by a Russian aircraft. The fighter fired several flares at the MQ-9 Reaper.
One of the missiles hit an unmanned aerial vehicle and seriously damaged the propeller. This was stated by the commander, Lieutenant General Alex Grynkewich. He called the actions of the Russian plane a blatant disregard for flight safety.
The MQ-9 Reaper was not destroyed. The crew, who were flying the drone remotely, managed to maintain control of it and successfully returned the UAV to the base.
It is worth noting that recently three MQ-9 Reaper drones were able to eliminate ISIS leader Usamah al-Muhajir. Prior to that, Russian Su-35 fighters had been hunting the American drones for several hours.
