Pentagon: Russian jet taking down US drone part of 'pattern' of 'aggressive' pilot actions

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Pentagon: Russian jet taking down US drone part of 'pattern' of 'aggressive' pilot actions

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday said the U.S. will not stop flights in international airspace after a Russian fighter jet clipped a U.S. drone propeller, causing a crash into the Black Sea.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday the U.S. will not stop flights in international airspace after a Russian fighter jet clipped a U.S. drone propeller, causing a crash into the Black Sea.

"I know that everyone here has heard that Russian aircraft again engaged in dangerous, reckless and unprofessional practices on Tuesday in international airspace over the Black Sea," Austin said. 

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks before a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on March 15, 2023, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Austin quickly summarized the incident, explaining, "Two Russian jets dumped fuel on an unmanned U.S. MQ-9 aircraft conducting routine operations in international airspace. And one Russian jet intercepted and hit our MQ-9 aircraft, resulting in a crash."

Austin sharply criticized the Russian military for its actions, stating that the Black Sea incident was "a part of a pattern of aggressive and risky and unsafe actions by Russian pilots in international airspace."

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An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft is parked in a hanger at Creech Air Force Base In Indian Springs, Nevada. (Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

Austin assured the press that the incident will not have any effect on U.S. plans to continue operating within the area.

"So make no mistake, the United States will continue to fly and to operate wherever international law allows. It is incumbent upon Russia to operate its military aircraft in a safe and professional manner," Austin said.

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley attend a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on March 15, 2023, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia is denying the aircraft touched one another, and accusing the U.S. of unnecessarily escalating the issue. 

"We assume that the United States will refrain from further speculation in the media and stop flights near Russian borders," said Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov on Wednesday. 

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Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov speaks during a discussion about the legacy of Anatoly Dobrynin at the Woodrow Wilson Institute in Washington, D.C. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

He claimed that the drone crashed after undertaking "sharp maneuvers," Reuters reports.