United States Air Force MQ-9 Reaper Crash

A United States Air Force MQ-9 Reaper came down in the Black Sea after an encounter with two Russian Su-27 fighters during a surveillance flight over international waters. The United States said the Russian aircraft dumped fuel over the drone in repeated close passes before one struck its propeller, forcing the crew to bring it down; Russia denied any contact and attributed the loss to the drone's own manoeuvring. Declassified footage from the aircraft was released showing the passes. The wreckage was not recovered. It was the first reported physical contact between American and Russian aircraft since the invasion of Ukraine.