For the second time in less than a day, Russian warplanes harassed US hunter-killer drones operating over Syria, according to the US military.
At 9:30 a.m. local time Thursday, Russian jets flew close to US MQ-9 Reaper drones and fired flares in front of them, an Air Force spokesman said. The incident involved two Russian planes, an SU-34 and an SU-35, and lasted for almost an hour, the spokesperson said. A defense official said the incident occurred in northwestern Syria.
“This is the second case of dangerous behavior by Russian pilots in the last 24 hours,” Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich said, “and the first occurred on Wednesday at approximately 10:40 a.m. local time.”
“These events represent another example of unprofessional and unsafe actions by the Russian air forces operating in Syria, which threaten the security of both the Coalition and Russian forces,” said Grynkewich, who is commander of the Ninth Air Force. and the Combined Forces Air Component for Central. Domain. “We urge the Russian forces in Syria to cease this reckless behavior and adhere to the standards of behavior expected of a professional air force so that we can resume our focus on the lasting defeat of ISIS.”
“The safety of military personnel and the success of the mission against ISIS depend on the professional and responsible conduct of all forces operating in the region,” he said.
In Wednesday’s incident, three Reaper drones were conducting a mission against Islamic State targets in Syria when three Russian warplanes began harassing them. Grynkewich said Russian planes dropped multiple parachute flares in front of the drones, forcing the drones into evasive manoeuvres.
MQ-9 target-seeking drones can carry Hellfire missiles and precision-guided bombs.
In March, Grynkewich told NBC News that armed Russian planes flew over US positions in Syria almost every day.
Russia and Syria are conducting joint air defense exercises, according to Russian media. The exercises began on Wednesday and are expected to last six days.
