US to continue flying drones over Black Sea after MQ-9 Reaper crash
But now drones will fly closer to Turkey
The United States will not completely cancel the flights of unmanned aerial vehicles over the Black Sea. However, the route will have to be slightly changed.
As you know, Russian Su-27 fighter jets “attacked” an American MQ-9 Reaper drone, which was not armed, although it can carry air-to-air missiles. The plane hit the drone’s propeller with its wing, which led to the crash.
A few days after the crash, a Northrop RQ-4B Global Hawk drone flew to the scene of the air accident. It not only flew over the site where the MQ-9 Reaper and Su-27 came into contact. The Northrop Grumman UAV headed toward the Russian Federation. 150 kilometers from the city of Sochi, it turned around, made several circles in the air, and headed for Romania.
The day before, it became known that the United States was considering abandoning UAV operations in the Black Sea. According to CNN, American drones will continue to fly over the Black Sea, but their route will be changed.
The United States will launch unmanned aerial vehicles further south, away from the airspace surrounding the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula, i.e. closer to Turkey. The source, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, claims that this is being done “in order not to provoke Russia.”
General Pat Ryder said that the US will use drones in the Black Sea in international airspace without violating international law. However, the exact routes and details of the missions remain secret for security reasons.
At the same time, some U.S. officials want the drones to return to routes controlled by the Russian Federation.
