5 Key Details About US Drone And Russian Fighter Jet That Collided
The situation in the Black Sea region has become tense since Russia's full-scale invasion of West-backed Ukraine
US said the Su-27 dumped oil on the MQ9 drone and collided with it
Here's your 5-point cheatsheet to this big story
- The US uses the MQ-9 Reaper for both surveillance and strikes, and has long operated over the Black Sea keeping an eye on Russian naval forces.
- Reapers can be armed with air-to-ground Hellfire missiles as well as laser-guided bombs and can fly for more than 1,700 km at altitudes of up to 15,000 metres.
- An extended version of the MQ-9 has field-retrofittable capabilities such as wing-borne fuel pods and a new reinforced landing gear that extends the aircraft's already long endurance from 27 hours to 34 hours.
- The Sukhoi-27 "Flanker", or Su-27, is a twin-engine, highly manoeuvrable fighter aircraft that provides air superiority. It was designed by Sukhoi Design Bureau.
- Su-27s can operate autonomously in combat over hostile territory, in escort of deep-penetration strike aircraft and in the suppression of enemy airfields.
