US video shows moment Russian fighter jet collides with US drone

Foxnews ^ | 16 March 2023 | Timothy H.J. Nerozzi , Paul Conner

[tkocur]

U.S. officials have released video that shows a Russian Su-27 fighter jet colliding with the propeller of a U.S. MQ-9 reaper drone.

The video was released by the U.S. military's European Command on Thursday, allowing the public to view the widely-reported aerial incident.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin summarized the incident Wednesday in a press conference, saying, "Two Russian jets dumped fuel on an unmanned U.S. MQ-9 aircraft conducting routine operations in international airspace. And one Russian jet intercepted and hit our MQ-9 aircraft, resulting in a crash."

Austin sharply criticized the Russian military for its actions, stating that the Black Sea incident was "a part of a pattern of aggressive and risky and unsafe actions by Russian pilots in international airspace."

Russia has previously denied that the aircraft touched one another, and accused the U.S. of unnecessarily escalating the issue.

[House Atreides]

“ American MQ-9 Reaper UAV found 60 km from Sevastopol at a depth of about 900 m.”
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If that’s so IT’S RECOVERABLE. If in far deeper location as alleged by the American authorities, recovery would be far more “iffy”. The environment at depth in the Black Sea is VERY nasty from what I understand.

[Jotmo]

There were multiple jets, and multiple passes.

They were messing with the drone for some time. I believe I heard about an hour or so.

[Jotmo]

I shouldn’t say “most likely” as I really don’t know.

Should say, “one possibility is..”

[Magnum44]

My only experience with composite blades were not around a titanium core. That would be new to me. Dont know what that would look like in a collision. For standard composite, if its spinning and it hits anything, it generally turns to flying confetti. Great for minimizing casualties on the ground, ok for dual or multi-engine where you have another engine to bring you home, maybe ok for single engine if you are always glide distance from home plate, like for acrobatic planes. I am sure some experimentals use them to reduce weight.

I have only a few hours in rotor craft (got to work with some test pilots in cobras back in the mid 80’s). They were testing composite blades. To be honest I dont remember much about that anymore. We just had to get hours on the blades for the studies.

[Jim Noble]

This business will get out of control, it will get out of control and we’ll be lucky to live through it.

[Magnum44]

You are suggesting jet wash could bend a blade, but leave the drone flying stable afterward...think about it.

[John S Mosby]

MIlli vanilli takes all his orders from his chi-com pal he said he would warn about Trump’s sending nukes their way— so he SAID!. So yeah- he coordinated the Nordstream US demolition— environmentally sound and all— NOT! And then JoeBama threatens the Germans who built it— to keep their mouths shut and expedited Norway in NATO, and the Swedes backed off ID’ing who did it, cause the Swedes know for certain. As do we.

One grade A paedophile with a constant constipated, drained creamy sweaty face with sunken furtive eyes. Sure— trust this a-hole, cause he’s a real “warrior” from a private school in massholeachusetts. Between him and darthblackie “raider” Austin (a noncompoop incompetent put up promotion, and a very stupid man down for the “revolution” destroying our fighting forces with woke bullcrap and base renaming).

[Owen]

Former USAF officer. Flew C130s but not for long, transitioned to them from A-37. My eyes were fading so not F-4. Yes, I’m old.

I do not remember ever flying a Herc above 30K and so slower, but much more lifting capacity because it was lighter empty.

I had forgotten there is a debate of prop vs jet. I always thought it was muscle vs speed. Maybe not.

[Jotmo]

Completely depends on a vast variety of factors.

There was an Israeli F-15 that collided with another aircraft and lost an entire wing. It landed safely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M359poNjvVA

[House Atreides]

“ I can only imagine what we would do if we discovered an Orion-2 flying off the coast of California or the Gulf of Mexico. ”
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I don’t know what an Orion-2 is but assume it is a Russian drone from the context. To be a closer in equivalence the Orion-2 would be providing targeting information to some elements within CONUS which the Russians had provided with technically elite military weaponry and those elements were killing Americans with those weapons as well as destroying billions of dollars of American military equipment and civilian structures.

But the Orion-2 stayed in international airspace so NO-BIG-DEAL?

[Magnum44]

Thank you for your service, sir!

[Ultra Sonic 007]

The Orion-2 is a high-altitude version of the Orion UAV made by Kronshtadt, so it's more similar to the MQ-9 Reaper, which is also a high-altitude UAV.

The Orion-2:

The MQ-9 Reaper:

[Jotmo]

And if it hit the prop with a horizontal stab, which I think is most likely, those are far less important for maintaining controlled flight than a wing.

For example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7tY1tv5yBQ

An the SU-27 has two, so that would most likely not result in damage sufficient to “shred” the plane in any way.

[Jotmo]

Well, I read about it years ago, where, I can’t remember. It was some sort of metal alloy, wrapped in carbon fiber or something similar.

The article was relating how ridiculously strong is was.

I’m sure as with most things, the choice of material and technology is basses on performance requirements v. cost.

I’ve always thought the choice between jets and turbo props was more about economics/efficiency as it relates to mission profile and needs.

[Magnum44]

the choice between jets and turbo props was more about economics/efficiency as it relates to mission profile and needs.

Yes

[ifinnegan]

Hey, I saw it. I even linked to it myself.

I somehow did not notice it the first time I looked.

Thanks and sorry to bother you.

[fretzer]

When I say "shred" I think of this. The internet rumor at the time was that a jilted GF took a chainsaw to the plane. Unfortunately, Vlad won't let us see the damage to the MIG. I'd like to see images of the damage done to the horizontal stab on the aircraft assuming of course that the DoD and Faux aren't lying to us.

[minnesota_bound]

Looks like it was the backwash and the dumping of jet fuel that brought down the drone.

Now why did our gov’t use a missile to bring down a BALLOON?

[dragnet2]

It flooded the compressors and probably caused an instant stop of rotation, which by itself can bend a prop, not to mention contact with the fuel itself could.

You got it.

[ETCM]

his intent was to splash fuel in the flight path of the drone

And to destabilize the drone with the turbulence of his "jet wash". I seriously doubt the pilot had any intention to actually make contact. He wanted to get close, but not THAT close. I would think he had a very brief "Oh S#!+" moment, and was thanking God a second later.