Russian fighter jet fires flares at US drone over Syria
A Russian fighter jet flew within a few meters of a U.S. drone over Syria and fired flares at it, striking the American aircraft and damaging it, the U.S. military said Tuesday.
A senior Air Force commander said the move on Sunday was an attempt by the Russians to knock the MQ-9 Reaper drone out of the sky and came just a week after a Russian fighter jet flew dangerously close to a U.S. surveillance aircraft carrying a crew in the region, jeopardizing the lives of the four American crew members.
"One of the Russian flares struck the U.S. MQ-9, severely damaging its propeller," Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, the head of U.S. Air Forces Central, said in a statement describing the latest close call. "We call upon the Russian forces in Syria to put an immediate end to this reckless, unprovoked, and unprofessional behavior."
Grynkewich said one of the crew members operating the drone remotely kept it in the air and flew it back to its home base.
The Sunday incident is the latest in a series of encounters between Russian fighter jets and U.S. aircraft flying over Syria. In all but the one instance a week ago, the U.S. aircraft were MQ-9 drones without crew members. On that Sunday, however, the Russian Su-35 jet few close to a U.S. MC-12 surveillance aircraft with a crew, forcing it to go through the turbulent wake.
U.S. officials at the time called it a significant escalation in the ongoing string of encounters between U.S. and Russian aircraft that could have resulted in an accident or loss of life. They said the Russian move hampered the crew members' ability to safely operate their plane.
In recent weeks, U.S. officials said, Russian fighter jets have repeatedly harassed U.S. MQ-9 drones, which are conducting anti-Islamic State group missions, largely in western Syria.
On multiple occasions in the past three weeks, the officials said, Russian fighter jets flew dangerously close to the U.S. Reapers, setting off flares and forcing the drones to take evasive maneuvers.
U.S. and Russian military officers communicate frequently over a deconfliction phone line during the encounters, protesting the other side's actions.
There are about 900 U.S. forces in Syria, and others move in and out to conduct missions targeting Islamic State group militants.
27 July 2023, 20:01
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Russian fighter jets flew dangerously close to several US drone aircraft over Syria on Wednesday, setting off flares and forcing the MQ-9 Reapers to take evasive manoeuvres, the US Air Force said.
US Air Forces Central released a video of the encounter, showing a Russian SU-35 fighter closing in on a Reaper, and later showed a number of the so-called parachute flares moving into the drone’s flight path. The flares are attached to parachutes.
Lieutenant General Alex Grynkewich, commander of 9th Air Force in the Middle East, said three of the US drones were operating over Syria after 10.30am local time, on a mission against Islamic State which was not detailed, when three of the Russian aircraft “began harassing the drones”.
27 July 2023, 20:03
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In a statement, Grynkewich said one of the Russian pilots moved their aircraft in front of a drone and engaged the SU-35’s afterburner, which greatly increases its speed and air pressure.
The jet blast from the afterburner can potentially damage the Reaper’s electronics, and Grynkewich said it reduced the drone operator’s ability to safely operate the aircraft.
Associated Press
Published: 10:31am, 6 Jul, 2023
27 July 2023, 20:12
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You can't fire a flare at someone from your airplane. In one of these incidents, according to a Russian source, the Reaper locked on targeting radar for Sidewinder air-to-air missiles with heat-seeking warheads which "automatically" caused the jet to pop off diversion flares intended to lead the missile off to one side or another, somewhat at random.
