![]() will seek to recover the downed drone, Milley said on Wednesday that the aircraft crashed in waters that are 4,000 or 5,000 feet deep, making any recovery operation difficult. craft lost stability and control as a result of "quick maneuvering," before losing altitude and crashing into the Black Sea.Īs for whether the U.S. Russia's Defense Ministry insists that its fighter jets did not attack or come into contact with the drone, alleging that the U.S. "At worst, it's reckless and incompetent." "At best, it's reckless flying," Kirby said. John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesperson, echoed that point on Thursday. We also know it was very unprofessional," he said. We know the aggressive behavior was intentional. "Was it intentional or not? Don't know yet. Mark Milley said he wasn't sure whether the Russian jet had intentionally made contact with the U.S. European Command described the encounter as "an unsafe and unprofessional intercept." Pentagon calls Russian military action "reckless" Mark Milley discusses the downed MQ-9 drone during a press conference at the Pentagon on Wednesday. ![]() Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (left) listens as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. has been monitoring movements by Russian troops and warships in the area. and dozens of other countries are supporting in its war against Russia. Shortly afterward, the aircraft crashed into the Black Sea off the southern coast of Ukraine - a country that the U.S. When the feed returns, the camera, which is mounted beneath the MQ-9, pivots to show the drone's propeller has been partially mangled. The Pentagon says the camera feed was lost for around 60 seconds. The footage then shows what the Pentagon says is an "even closer" pass from a Russian jet.Īpproaching from what looks to be a lower angle, the Su-27 releases more fuel and its fuselage is seen coming extremely close to the drone before the video cuts out entirely. The camera recovers as the fighter jet pulls away, showing the drone's rear-mounted propeller in normal working condition. In the 42-second video, a Russian Su-27 aircraft is seen approaching from the drone's rear quarter, releasing a plume of fuel as it pulls upward and over the drone, causing the footage to partially pixelate. The Pentagon says the video depicts events in the order they happened, although it was edited to condense the action. officials say lasted for at least a half hour. The footage gives brief glimpses of the encounter, which U.S. “This challenge was exacerbated while flying instrument sorties, which required more frequent communications with” air traffic control.Video shows two close passes by Russian fighters That “directly impacted his ability to receive and process instruction as well as listen and talk on the radios,” the report said. Uesaki’s instructors found that he had trouble speaking and understanding English despite completing language training in August 2019. “He was also known to help other student pilots prepare for their sorties.” Still, he was known as a “very respectful, hard-working, diligent student who studied long hours in preparation for his sorties,” the service said. Uesaki had flown the Talon since July 2020 but was deemed at least slightly below average in the airframe, the Air Force said. “He had a reputation as one of the best and hardest working first assignment instructor pilots in the squadron.” ![]() The squadron commander approved the sortie nonetheless.Īmes was up-to-date and qualified to fly the T-38C, “respected by his leadership and fellow instructors and had great rapport with his students,” the investigation said. Airmen labeled the flight to Alabama high risk because it required an inexperienced instructor and international student to fly over water into an unfamiliar airfield, amid low clouds and the possibility of light ice.
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