Russian Jet’s Collision With US Drone Part of ‘Pattern of Aggressive’ Actions: Austin
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called Russia’s aggression toward a U.S. drone “reckless” in a March 15 meeting with the Tenth Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
Austin told the group that two Russian aircraft engaged in “dangerous, reckless, and unprofessional practices” over the Black Sea on March 14 when they dumped fuel on an unmanned U.S. MQ-9 aircraft conducting routine operations in international airspace.
The defense secretary said one jet also “intercepted and hit our MQ-9 aircraft, resulting in a crash,” in what he called a “hazardous episode” that “is part of a pattern of aggressive, risky, and unsafe actions by Russian pilots in international airspace.”…