US drone damaged by Russian fighter jet over Syria

The United States Air Force (USAF) released video on Tuesday, July 25, that it says shows a Russian fighter jet flying “dangerously close” to a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over Syria on Sunday, July 23, and deploying flares that caused damage to the drone. The USAF said the “unprofessional behavior” of the Russian pilot included “harassing the MQ-9 and deploying flares from a position directly overhead, with only a few meters of separation between aircraft.” One of the flares struck and damaged the drone’s propeller but the crew managed to pilot the drone back to its home base, the USAF said. “The Russian fighter’s blatant disregard for flight safety detracts from our mission to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS,” said Lt Gen Alex Grynkewich, Commander of United States Air Forces Central (AFCENT) and Combined Forces Air Component Commander (CFACC) for CENTCOM, according to a press release. “We call upon the Russian forces in Syria to put an immediate end to this reckless, unprovoked, and unprofessional behavior,” Grynkewich said. Similar incidents had been reported by the US earlier in July. Footage released by CENTCOM on July 9 appeared to show Russian fighter jets, including one with the same markings as the aircraft depicted in the July 23 video, harassing a US drone. USAF said the incident happened on Sunday, July 23. The date could not be independently verified. The Sun newspaper brings you the latest breaking news videos and explainers from the UK and around the world Become a Sun Subscriber and hit the bell to be the first to know Read The Sun: Like The Sun on Facebook: Follow The Sun on Twitter: Subscribe to The Sun on Snapchat: #russia #unitedstates #warzone