US releases footage of Russian jet attacking its surveillance drone over Black Sea

While intercept attempts are not uncommon, the incident amid the war in Ukraine has raised concerns it could bring the United States and Russia closer to direct conflict.

The United States has released footage of an armed Russian Su-27 aircraft conducting what it called "an unprofessional intercept" of a US Air Force MQ-9 in international airspace over the Black Sea on March 14.

The 42-second video, posted on Twitter by the US European Command, shows the Russian jet approaching the rear of the US Air Force MQ-9 unmanned drone, which begins to release fuel as it passes over it. However, the video abruptly stops just as the Russian jet passes by.

The released excerpt does not show events before or after the apparent fuel-dumping confrontation.

"Two Russian Su-27s conducted an unsafe and unprofessional intercept w/a US air force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance unmanned MQ-9 operating w/i international airspace over the Black Sea March 14," tweeted the European Command.

The U.S. military said it ditched the MQ-9 Reaper in the sea on Tuesday after the Russian fighter jet poured fuel on the unmanned aerial vehicle, in an apparent attempt to blind its optical instruments and drive it out of the area, and then struck its propeller.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reached out to his Russian counterparts about the destruction of the U.S. drone following the encounter with Russian fighter jets.

While intercept attempts are not uncommon, the incident amid the war in Ukraine has raised concerns it could bring the United States and Russia closer to direct conflict. That the two countries' top defense and military leaders were talking so soon after the encounter over the Black Sea underscored its seriousness.

The Russian Defence Ministry had denied causing the crash of the drone, which the Pentagon said was on a routine ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) mission.

"As a result of a sharp manoeuvre... the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle entered an uncontrolled flight with loss of altitude and collided with the surface of the water," the Russian Defence Ministry said, adding that the two Russian jets had no contact with the US aircraft and did not use their weapons.