Follow us on social

090127-f-7383p-001-scaled

Russian jet hits US drone in apparent ‘close pass’ gone wrong

While unlikely to spiral into a wider crisis, the incident highlights the risks of escalating tensions between Washington and Moscow.

Europe

A Russian fighter jet hit an American drone flying over the Black Sea this morning, according to the U.S. military, which said the incident occurred during a routine flight over international waters.

The collision came after two Russian jets intercepted the MQ-9 Reaper drone and dropped fuel on it, according to U.S. officials. As Defense One noted, the incident appears to be “the first time a Russian aircraft has brought down a U.S. aircraft since the Cold War.”

While intercepts of foreign planes are a regular occurrence, today’s incident was notable for its “unsafe and unprofessional” nature, according to National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby. The State Department has summoned Russia’s ambassador to the United States.

For their part, Russian officials blamed the crash on the drone, arguing that it made a “sharp maneuver” before hitting the fighter jet. They also alleged that the Reaper had turned off its transponders, making it more difficult to track.

Dara Masicott of the RAND Corporation described the incident as a “close pass that went bad.” While details remain unclear, Masicott speculated that the Russian pilot was attempting to force the drone to change course by flying in front of it. But, she added, a “deliberate bump cannot be ruled out yet.”

Early reports have not indicated whether the drone was armed. U.S. forces have used Reapers in a range of different roles, including high-altitude surveillance and drone strikes. In 2020, the United States used a Reaper drone to kill Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani.

The crash is unlikely to spiral into a wider crisis, according to George Beebe of the Quincy Institute. But it highlights that “we are walking right up to the edge of a direct U.S.-Russian military confrontation.”

“The Russians see the war in Ukraine as not just a bilateral war between Russia and Ukraine but a larger conflict with the United States, so the war in Ukraine is not going to end if we're not willing to address that larger conflict too,” Beebe said.


MQ-9 Reaper Drone. Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force
Europe
Trump and Putin on phone
Top photo credit: Donald Trump (White House photo) and Vladimir Putin (Office of the Russian Federation President)
US-Russia talks: The rubber finally hits the road

Good, bad and ugly: Impact of US Iran strikes on Russia war talks

Europe

To a considerable degree, President Donald Trump won the presidency in 2024 because voters embraced his message of keeping America out of protracted conflicts and his promise to end the war in Ukraine.

The administration has made substantial operational headway, particularly in reopening stable channels for dialogue with Russia, but it has proven difficult to arrive at a framework for a negotiated settlement that enjoys buy-in from all the stakeholders — Ukraine, Russia, and Europe.

keep readingShow less
Trump Netanyahu in Washington
Top photo credit: Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu (Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock.com)

Netanyahu returns to DC — in triumph or with more to ask?

Middle East

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will arrive in Washington for his third visit of Trump’s second term. Today also marks 21 months of Israel’s war on Gaza. The purpose of the visit remains unclear, and speculation abounds: will Trump and Netanyahu announce a real ceasefire in Gaza? Will Syria join the Abraham Accords? Or might Trump greenlight even broader Israeli action against Iran?

Before Netanyahu’s visit, Trump posted an ultimatum on Truth Social, claiming Israel had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire. He urged Hamas to accept the terms, threatening that “it will only get worse” if it doesn’t. Although Trump intended to pressure Hamas, reiterating a longstanding narrative that portrays the group as the obstacle to peace, Hamas has long maintained that it will only accept a ceasefire if it is part of a process that leads to a permanent end to Israel’s war and its complete withdrawal from the enclave. Netanyahu, for his part, remains adamant that the war must continue until Hamas is eliminated, a goal that even the IDF has described as not militarily viable.

keep readingShow less
POGO The Bunker
Top image credit: Project on Government Oversight

Yes to 'Department of War' name change

Military Industrial Complex

The Bunker appears originally at the Project on Government Oversight and is republished here with permission.

keep readingShow less

LATEST

QIOSK

Newsletter

Subscribe now to our weekly round-up and don't miss a beat with your favorite RS contributors and reporters, as well as staff analysis, opinion, and news promoting a positive, non-partisan vision of U.S. foreign policy.