A US soldier guides the MQ-9 Reaper drone as it lands at Subic Bay Freeport Zone on April 23, 2023, as part of the US-Philippines joint military exercise 'Balikatan'. (PHOTO / AFP)
MOSCOW – A Russian Su-30 fighter "has escorted" a US reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle over the Black Sea, Russian news agency Tass said Saturday.
"On August 5, 2023, Russian radar systems detected an air target approaching the state border of the Russian Federation over the waters of the Black Sea," Tass cited Russia's National Defense Control Center as saying.
"A Su-30 fighter jet of the air defense units on duty was scrambled to identify the air target and to prevent the violation of the state border of the Russian Federation," the center said.
It added that the aerial target was identified as a US Air Force MQ-9A Reaper drone.
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"As soon as the Russian fighter approached the foreign reconnaissance drone, the latter made a U-turn away from the state border of Russia," the center said, adding the fighter safely returned to its home base.
The Su-30 flight was carried out according to international airspace rules, and there was no violation of Russia's state border, it said.
