The United States resumed drone flights over the Black Sea, interrupted after the incident between the MQ-9 drone and the Su-27 aircraft, Reuters reports.
An RQ-4 Global Hawk drone was sent to the region on March 17, two U.S. officials told the agency. By data CNN, the drone took off from Romanian airspace at an altitude of 16 kilometers and spent some time in international airspace southeast of Crimea.
Reuters notes that this is the first flight since the incident with the Russian fighter. At the same time, by information CNN previously sent a drone to the MQ-9 crash site to monitor the progress of the Russian work to find the wreckage.
An MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed after trying to intercept Russian Su-27 fighters in neutral waters over the Black Sea on the morning of March 14. The US said one of the planes hit the propeller of the drone, causing it to lose control and crash. The Pentagon released a video of a Su-27 dropping fuel in front of the drone, after which it crashes.
Russia denied that the fighter had physical contact with the drone. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the drone “went into uncontrolled flight and crashed as a result of sharp maneuvering.”
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu presented Su-27 pilots for awards.
