NATO urged to respond to dangerous intercept of US drone by Russian jets [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!

• A Russian fighter jet collided with a US surveillance drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday.
• The US military’s European Command released declassified footage of the crash, which shows the Russian jet striking the drone’s propeller.
• Tobias Ellwood, Chair of the Defence Select Committee, called it a “blatant attack over international airspace” and urged NATO to take action.

On Tuesday, a Russian fighter jet collided with a US surveillance drone over the Black Sea, prompting Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood to call for action from NATO. Ellwood, who chairs the Defence Select Committee, described the incident as a “blatant attack over international airspace” and said it “should not pass without consequences.” The US military’s European Command released declassified footage of the crash, which shows the Russian jet striking the drone’s propeller.

According to a statement from the US European Command, the incident occurred when two Russian Su-27 fighter jets “conducted an unsafe and unprofessional intercept” of the US drone, which was operating within international airspace.

The drone’s camera footage shows its tail and rear-mounted propeller spinning before the approaching Russian fighter jet dumps fuel as it intercepts the drone. The drone has not yet been retrieved, and it is unclear whether it will be recovered.

Ellwood said the incident illustrates how drone warfare is changing the nature of conflict, adding that “Russia would not have dumped fuel if the plane had been manned.”

He also warned that a local incident like this could escalate tensions and trigger a wider conflict. The US and Russia have a history of tensions over airspace violations, with each side accusing the other of endangering their aircraft.

The incident has raised concerns among officials and experts about the risk of escalation in the region. NATO has not yet responded to Ellwood’s call for action, but the incident is likely to feature in discussions at the upcoming NATO summit.

The US and Russia are both members of NATO, and any conflict between them could have serious consequences for the alliance and the wider world.