US Air Force releases video showing Russian war jet ‘harassing’ military drones in Syria

The Russian war jets were “harassing” the US military drones when it was flying over Syria during its mission against the Islamic State Group, the United States Air Force said.

On Wednesday, the US Air Forces Central released a video to support its claim that Russian war jets were flying dangerously close to US’ MQ-9 Reaperover Syria, forcing its MQ-9 Reapers to take evasive manoeuvres.

The clip shared appeared to show Russian SU-35 fighter closing in on a Reaper and later a number of the so-called parachute flares moving into the drone's flight path. The flares are attached to parachutes.

Harassing drones

In a statement, Lieutenant General Alex Grynkewich, commander of the 9th Air Force in the Middle East, said that the Russian aircraft “began harassing” the Reaper drones when it was flying over northwest Syria after around 10.30 am during its mission against the Islamic State group.

He said that the Reaper drones were not equipped with weapons and were used for reconnaissance missions. The military official, however, did not give details pertaining to the mission.

Grynkewich said that one of the Russian pilots moved their aircraft in front of a drone and engaged the SU-35's afterburner, which greatly increases its speed and air pressure.

He added that the jet blast from the afterburner can potentially damage the Reaper's electronics, which reduced the drone operator's ability to safely operate the aircraft.

'Russian military engaged inunprofessional behaviour'

“Russian military aircraft engaged in unsafe and unprofessional behaviour while interacting with US aircraft in Syria," Grynkewich said.

Pointing out that such actions threaten the safety of the US and Russian forces, he said, "We urge Russian forces in Syria to cease this reckless behaviour and adhere to the standards of behaviour expected of a professional air force so we can resume our focus on the enduring defeat of ISIS."

The chief of US Central Command, Army General Erik Kurilla, in a statement, said that Russia’s violation of ongoing efforts to clear the airspace over Syria “increases the risk of escalation or miscalculation”.

According to AP news agency, as many as 900 US forces are deployed to Syria to work with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces battling the Islamic State militants.

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