This device, which is 25 meters long and weighs more than four tons, is a remote-controlled aircraft designed by the American company. General Atomic Science. Thanks to the turboprop engine, it can fly at altitudes of up to six kilometers and has a range of approximately 27 hours. The “Reaper” or Predator B version can carry five times more payloads than its Predator predecessor, in the form of guided missiles or guided bombs. On them you can mount any type of weapon, such as Hellfire II missiles or precision or laser-guided bombs.
Spain bought four of these unmanned systems in 2015 for a total of 226m euros. €56 million each.
warns NATO allies
The MQ-9 Reaper is a fighter jet. It has air-to-ground weapons. Therefore, its destruction in a situation that has not yet been clarified caused alarm bells to ring. NATO accuses Russia of unsafe maneuvers with a fighter in the Black Sea and says such behavior “could lead to error and an undesirable escalation”.
The Atlantic Alliance informed the allies of the “incident”. Caused by some Russian warplane maneuvers in international waters The operation, which started in the Black Sea, ended when the United States shot down one of the drones flying over the region.
The United States is a “Unsafe” and “unprofessional” maneuver of two Russian fightersHe forced US forces to shoot down their own drone operating over the Black Sea.
The incident occurred at around 07:03 am local time and the drone was conducting a routine operation, as stated in a statement by the United States European Command. captured and shot by a Russian warriorIt prompts US forces to strike in international waters.
Special, He stated that a Russian Su-27 hit the propeller of the MQ-9 drone.and that several times before this collision, Russian planes had thrown fuel and flew in front of the drone in a “reckless, unprofessional and unecological manner”.
General James Hecker, Commander of the United States Air Forces Europe and Africa, said that the United States and its allies “They will continue to operate in international airspace” He urged the Russians to act “professional and safe”. He says what happened follows the trend of “dangerous actions” taken by Russian pilots when interacting with aircraft of the United States or its allies in international airspace, including in the Black Sea.