



About the crash of an American MQ-9 drone off the coast of Crimea
In the evening, news appeared about the fall of the American MQ-9 Reaper UAV, which was flying over the waters of the Black Sea, several tens of kilometers from the coast of the Crimean peninsula.
The loss of the drone was later confirmed by US officials. According to the commander of the Air Force in Europe and Africa, General James Hecker, the drone was flying and was hit in neutral airspace.

What happened to the MQ-9?
At the moment there are several versions of what happened:
The US Air Force claims that the maneuvers of a pair of Russian Su-27 fighters led to the fall of the drone. One of the planes that took off to intercept allegedly used a well-known trick - he opened the dump valve and doused the drone with fuel, the jet of which damaged the main rotor of the MQ-9. The US even called the maneuver "environmentally unsound."

Other sources claim that the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction. In the area of \u200b\u200bhis flight, supposedly really nahAircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces flew, but they only watched the fall of the UAV.

According to the third version, the MQ-9 Reaper shot down a Russian fighter with an air-to-air missile, mistaking it for another attack drone of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

What is the result?
What actually happened can be clarified by the video from the camera of an American drone, which was clearly filming in flight. Before its publication, as well as the appearance of photographs of the wreckage, it is difficult to determine the exact cause.
Much more important is something else: such an incident was bound to happen sooner or later.
Since February 2022, reconnaissance aircraft of NATO countries have been constantly working over the waters of the Black Sea. Drones RQ-4 coordinate air attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and openly provoke the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: there are known cases of their violation of Russian airspace, albeit for a few seconds.
It is not surprising that another air object flying near the peninsula was taken as a threat. This is absolutely logical against the backdrop of regular Ukrainian drone raids on Crimea, which are taking place with the direct support of the United States.
And it is precisely such incidents that can force people in the Pentagon to moderate their ardor and, if not reduce intelligence activity in the Black Sea, then at least start flying at a greater distance from the Russian coast.
And another equally important question is who will be the first to get to the wreckage of the collapsed MQ-9 Reaper. For Russia, they can be a very tasty reward.