On the evening of March 14, an American MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone fell into the Black Sea. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the drone fell into the water “as a result of sudden maneuvers around 9:30 a.m. Moscow time”. At the same time, the Russian fighters did not use airborne weapons and did not come into contact with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the ministry said. The United States’ First European Command reported that the drone crashed into the sea after being hit by a Russian Su-27 fighter jet. RTVI understood why the American Reaper drone ended up over the Black Sea, how these drones are arranged and for what purposes they are used.
what is this drone
M9-Q Reaper (translated from English as “reaper”, an analogy with the expression Grim Reaper, i.e. “grim reaper, death”) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for reconnaissance and which can be used for both reconnaissance missions and hitting objects. MQ-9 Reaper can work both in remote control mode and perform offline tasks.
According to the New York Times, the downed drone was unarmed . He flew from a base in Romania on a “planned reconnaissance mission”, according to the NYT, citing a senior US military official. The newspaper’s interlocutor said reconnaissance missions usually lasted 9-10 hours. According to the publication, the drone carried out reconnaissance 120 km southwest of Crimea.
The main design idea invested in the Reaper drone is the possibility of long-range high-altitude observation in conjunction with powerful missile weapons. This versatility allows US forces to transition from using multifunctional F-16 light fighters to less visible and less expensive drones.
It is possible to attach up to six missile and bomb weapon complexes to American drones: it has two hardpoints with a payload capacity of 680 kg each, two – 230-270 kg each and two 68-91 kg each. As weapons, it is possible to use AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles (semi-active laser-guided missile or active radar, operating on the principle of “fire and forget”), GPS-guided bombs Mark 82 ( explosive mass up to 89 kg) and air-to-air missiles AIM-9X (the most mass-produced air-to-air missile in the world).
The drone is equipped with a Honeywell TP331-10 turboprop engine with a power of 910 hp. Able to reach speeds of up to 482 km / h (cruising – 313 km / h), maximum height – 15.4 km (working height – about 7.5 km). The basic modification allows the drone to perform operations for 14 hours at full combat load without the need to refuel (in more modern versions, the flight time has been increased to 33 hours).
CTK via ZUMA Press/TASS
The Reaper drone was first fielded in 2007. Used in the US campaign in Afghanistan, it is in service with most US military commands stationed outside the continental United States. Also in service with Belgium, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Turkey, France and Japan. A total of 16 drones were lost in service – including three during the conflict in Syria. Since 2001, more than 300 drones have been produced.
The MQ-9 Reaper drone is one of the main elements of the US Air Force, it is used both for surveillance and for attacks, writes the NYT. The unmanned vehicle is capable of reaching speeds of over 400 km/h and flying at an altitude of around 15 km.
What politicians say
According to a US Department of Defense official Pat Ryder, two Su-27 fighters carried out a “dangerous and unprofessional interception” of an American drone. According to the Pentagon, one of the Russian planes crashed into the propeller of the MQ-9, after which the drone lost control. As a result, the US military had to shoot it down over international waters, Ryder said. According to him, the Russian Su-27s repeatedly dumped fuel before colliding with the drone and flew past it “in a reckless and unprofessional manner”. “This incident demonstrates incompetence as well as insecurity and lack of professionalism,” Ryder said, referring to the Russian pilots.
Patrick Semansky/AP
Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov pointed out that the American drone flew with the transponders turned off and entered the area of the military operation in Ukraine, although Russia warned of the risks of such behavior through international channels. “I think this is a real provocation. It provoked us to certain specific actions, after which one could blame Russia, the Russian military for some kind of unprofessionalism,” Antonov said (quote according to TASS). The ambassador noted that the Su-27 fighters did not use weapons against the MQ-9 Reaper. Antonov called the actions of the Russian pilots “very professional”. “There was no contact, no weapons were used by our fighters,” he said.
Anatoly Antonov expressed the opinion that American drones flying over the Black Sea “are engaged in the collection of intelligence information, which is then used by the Kiev regime to strike at our armed forces and territory.” “We perceive all actions with the use of US weapons and equipment as openly hostile,” underline He. At the same time, he said that Russia does not want a confrontation with the United States, described as constructive the meeting at the State Department with Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried and expressed the hope that the United States would “refrain from further speculation in the media space and stop flying near Russian borders”.
On what basis Reaper flies over the Black Sea
US drones have been permanently based at the Campia-Turziy airbase in central Romania for two years, IMEMO RAS researcher Alexander Ermakov said in a conversation with RTVI. The drones fly for reconnaissance purposes almost every day during the entire base period, the expert pointed out. Not only Reaper drones fly in the region, but also heavy high-altitude drones RQ-4 Global Hawk, but already from Sicily, the analyst clarified.
With their regular flights, American drones do not violate international law, Yermakov explained. “The American drones did not cross Russian sovereign airspace and had a right to be where the drone crashed,” the expert said. US drones fly in accordance with civil air traffic safety requirements, which means that transponders are turned on, there are no dangerous encounters with airliners on highways, and flights are conducted in safe areas, Yermakov said. He added that there are no restrictions in international airspace except in situations where someone’s activity could cause direct harm to someone – for example, when there is a threat of collision. “At the same time, the United States is ignoring the areas declared dangerous for flights by the Russian armed forces as part of the military operation, but that is their business,” the expert said.
As for the legality of US UAV intelligence activities themselves, they are also generally indistinguishable from the rest of Western intelligence work in the current situation, Yermakov says. “Of course, the active assistance to inform one of the participants in the conflict calls into question the declared non-participation in it, but whether we like this situation or not, we already have a certain status quo, and in these areas (over the Black Sea) American drones are not the first to fly every year,” the expert said.
