Pilots who destroyed US Reaper drone honored by Russia as Putin’s Black Sea fleet looks poised to win race to recover it

The Russian pilots of two Su-27 fighter jets that destroyed an American drone were honored by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

The $32 million MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed in the Black Sea on Tuesday after it was intercepted by two Russian fighter jets in what US officials say was a possible premeditated act to confiscate its data.

The US is in a race against time to take back the Reapers before they fall into Moscow’s hands. However, Russia looks set to win the race, as Putin’s rescue ships are already operating off the coast of Crimea.

Telegram channels indicate that the special vessels Fizik and Professor Vodyanitskiy both sailed to or near the suspected location of the Black Sea wreck.

It comes after a source close to Russia’s defense ministry claimed that Kremlin forces found the crashed Reaper drone at a depth of up to 2,953 feet in the Black Sea off the main naval port of Sevastopol.

And today, the Russian Defense Ministry said Shoigu gave awards to the pilots who destroyed the American drone.

However, it appears that Russia will win the race to find the surveillance drone, as Putin’s Black Sea fleet of rescue ships is operating off the coast of Crimea today. In the photo: prof. Vodyanitskiy’s research vessel in Russia, which is believed to have been involved in the search for the drone

Telegram channels indicate that the special vessels Fizik (pictured in a file photo) and Professor Vodyanitskiy were both on their way to or near the suspected location of the Black Sea wreck

READ MORE: Pentagon footage proves Russia lied when it said its Su-27 fighter jet failed to make contact with $32m US Reaper drone after it dumped fuel and hit it, fell into sea

In announcing the awards, the ministry reiterated the Russian version of events – strongly disputed by Washington, which released footage of the crash – that the Russian planes had no physical contact with the drone.

“As a result of sharp maneuvers around 09:30 (Moscow time), the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle entered an uncontrolled altitude loss flight and collided with the water surface,” the message said.

The Russian ministry said the drone flew with disabled transponders and violated airspace restrictions announced by Russia in connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Washington has previously denied these claims, saying Two Russian Su-27 fighter jets intercepted the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle on a reconnaissance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace.

The Su-27s dumped fuel on the MQ-9s and flew ahead several times for 30 to 40 minutes “in a reckless, polluting and unprofessional manner,” the US European Command said.

Drone camera footage released by the Biden administration yesterday showed the chilling confrontation.

Released 42-second color footage from the US military shows a Russian Su-27 approaching the tail of the MQ-9 Reaper drone, releasing fuel as it passes, the Pentagon said. The gas station appears to be designed to blind the drone’s optical instruments to drive it out of the area.

On a second approach, either the same jet or another Russian Su-27 shadowing the MQ-9 struck the drone’s propeller and damaged a blade, according to the US military, which said it then crashed the aircraft tossed, caught.

The video fragment does not show the collision, but the damage to the propeller.

Now Russian Navy salvage ships are searching for the destroyed drone in the Black Sea.

The salvage operation came after a source close to the Russian Defense Ministry reportedly told the Crimean publication ForPost that an underwater robot found the drone at depths of up to 300 meters in the Black Sea.

The source reportedly said: “An underwater robot descended to the seabed and spotted the MQ-9 Reaper at a depth of about 850 to 900 meters.

“The deepwater branch of the South Stream gas pipeline runs not far from this area.”

Russian media claimed that Kremlin troops found the crashed US drone near the port

US officials said the MQ-9 Reaper drone was intercepted by two Russian Su-27 jets, which dumped fuel on the drone before cutting off the propeller and forcing it to crash

The $32 million Reaper drone was shot down by Russia

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According to the report, Russian naval forces were “deployed in the area where the US military reconnaissance vehicle crashed”.

However, there was no official confirmation of the report.

The Turkish-built research vessel Fizik was equipped with cranes, but the ship, which left the Sevastopol naval port, later returned, sources said.

It remained in Russian territorial waters while the Reaper reportedly went down in international waters, according to the US.

The Professor Vodyanitskiy – a scientific research vessel equipped with laboratories, seismic sensors, an echo sounder, an underwater camera and other advanced search systems – is said to have remained at sea.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby earlier said the UAV may never be recovered from the crash site and admitted the Reaper wreckage is still in the Black Sea.

The Pentagon also insisted that parts could not be recovered and that all information had been deleted.

Russia and NATO members regularly intercept each other’s fighter jets, but Tuesday’s incident marked the first time since the Cold War that a US plane had crashed in such an encounter, raising concerns that the United States and Russia are moving closer to a can bring direct conflict. could bring

The MQ-9, which has a wingspan of 20 meters, includes a ground station and satellite equipment. It can carry ammunition, but Air Force Brig.-Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, declined to say whether the downed drone was armed.