Russian fighter jet collided with US surveillance drone over Black Sea

(Patria) - A Russian fighter jet collided with a US surveillance drone over the Black Sea, the US military reported. The drone was forced down due to damage to its propeller, CNN reports.

A US Reaper drone and two Russian SU-27 Flanker jets were flying over international waters when one of the Russian aircraft intentionally flew in front of the unmanned aerial vehicle and dumped fuel in front of it, after which one of the planes collided with the drone, damaging its rear propeller, according to a US official familiar with the incident.

"Beyond unsafe and unprofessional, this incident demonstrates a lack of competence," the US military said in a statement.

The propeller damage forced the US to bring down the Reaper in international waters in the Black Sea. Russian and US aircraft have operated over the Black Sea during the war, but this is the first known such interaction, a potentially dangerous escalation at a critical moment in the fighting.