A United States Air Force (USAF) drone was hit by a Russian fighter jet over the Black Sea on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the US European Command. The incident occurred when two Russian Su-27 aircraft engaged in an unsafe and unprofessional interception with the US Air Force MQ-9 aircraft, which was conducting routine operations in international airspace.

One of the Su-27s struck the propeller of the MQ-9, causing it to crash and resulting in complete loss of the drone. Prior to the collision, the Russian fighter jets flew recklessly and unsafely, even dumping fuel on the drone. The incident demonstrates a lack of competence, in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional.

USAF Gen. James Hecker commented on the incident, stating that this is not the first time Russian pilots have acted in a dangerous manner when interacting with US and Allied aircraft over international airspace. He added that US and Allied aircraft will continue to operate in international airspace and called on the Russians to conduct themselves professionally and safely.

Sec. Gen Pat Ryder told media during a press conference, “In terms of the mission of the MQ9… These aircraft have been flying over the Black Sea region for some time, including before the current conflict started. It’s an important and busy international waterway, and so it’s not an uncommon mission for us to be flying in international water space.” Ryder did not answer whether the aircraft was armed.

The Pentagon press sec says the MQ-9 drone was "well clear of any territory in Ukraine. It was in international airspace over international water." pic.twitter.com/6Hj9m9MOcX

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“We are continuing to assess exactly what happened but I think based on the actions of the Russian pilots, it’s clear that it was unsafe and unprofessional. I think the actions speak for themselves. What we saw, again, were fighter aircraft dumping fuel in front of this UAV, and then getting so close to the aircraft that it actually damaged the propeller on the MQ9. We assess that it likely caused some damage to the Russian aircraft as well. We know that the Russian aircraft did land,” Ryder said.