A Russian fighter jet took down a U.S. Air Force Reaper Drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday according to the US military. The Russian aircraft hit the propeller of the U.S. drone causing it to fall, then U.S. forces brought the drone down in international waters. The Pentagon spoke about the incident with General Patrick Ryder saying, “The Russian aircraft flew in the vicinity of the drone for 30 to 40 minutes before colliding just around 7 a.m. Central European Time.” The U.S. drone is estimated at $32 million dollars, a sizeable cost for the government.

Our aircraft was doing routine operations in international airspace when it was hit by a Russian aircraft. The incident is the first time Russian and U.S. military aircraft have come into direct physical contact since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine just over a year ago. Before the jet crashed into the drone, the Russian jets intentionally flew in front of the Reaper Drone and dumped fuel on the unmanned drone several times.

The U.S. uses Reaper Drones for both surveillance and attacks when needed. and has operated the drones in a variety of locations, including in the Middle East and Africa. Other countries, including Britain and France, also fly Reaper Drones. The only question is, did Putin give the order or did the pilots take the initiative?