U.S. Drone Almost Hit Russian Fighter Bomber Over Syria’s Raqqa
An MQ-9 drone of the United States-led coalition had made a dangerous approach to a Russian Su-34 fighter bomber over...
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A MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle prepares to land after a mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson)
An MQ-9 drone of the United States-led coalition had made a dangerous approach to a Russian Su-34 fighter bomber over the northeastern Syrian governorate of Raqqa, Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit, Deputy Head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria, reported on August 8.
The commander said in a briefing that the drone approached the Russian fighter bomber “at a dangerous distance” of less than 100 meters over Raqqa.
The Russian military group in Syria was not notified about the drone flight, which is usually done to avoid incidents as a part of a process called “deconfliction,” Kulit said.
“The Russian pilots demonstrated high professionalism by taking the necessary measures in a timely manner to prevent a collision with an unmanned aerial vehicle of the coalition,” the commander added.
In the same briefing, Kulit revealed that US-led coalition fighter jets and drones violated Syrian airspace 16 times over the southeastern area of al-Tanf within 24 hours.
The violations involved three pairs of F-16 fighter jets, one pair of F-35 stealth fighter jets, one pair of Typhoon fighter jets, one pair of Rafale fighter jets, three MQ-1C drones and one MC-12W reconnaissance aircraft of the coalition.
“The aviation of the so-called international anti-terrorist coalition led by the U.S. continues to create dangerous situations in the skies of Syria, flying in violation of deconflicting protocols and violating Syrian airspace,” Kulit warned.
The U.S.-led coalition maintains a garrison in al-Tanf and a series of bases at key oil and gas fields in Syria’s northeastern region without the approval of the country’s government. Damascus calls this presence an occupation.
Last month, the U.S.-led coalition increased attempts to expand its aerial operations over the country without any coordination with the Russian military. This led to unprecedented tensions between the two sides.
Answering a question about recent provocations by the coalition in Syria during a press conference last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his country is ready for any scenario but does not want a direct military clash with the U.S.
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