In what appears to be a clear escalation in tensions between the United States and Russia in Syrian airspace, Russian fighter jets “harassed” an American drone operating over Syria, a second such incident in two consecutive days. The previous incident reportedly took place on Wednesday, media reports said. During a mission against ISIS targets in northwest Syria on Thursday, a US MQ-9 Reaper drone was approached by Russian fighter jets, according to Air Force Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich. One of the Russian jets released flares in front of the US drone, appearing to make an attempt to hit it. Consequently, the drone had to perform evasive maneuvers to avoid the potential danger.
‘Unprofessional’ interaction
Col. Michael Andrews, a spokesperson for Air Force Central Command, described the encounter as a “sustained” and “unprofessional” interaction. The incident involved two Russian fighters, an SU-45 and SU-35, engaging the American drone for almost an hour.
Video footage released by Air Force Central Command shows the Russian fighters flying near the US drone, with one of them releasing a series of flares as it passed over the drone.
In response to the incident, Lt. Gen. Grynkewich expressed concerns about the “unprofessional” and “unsafe” actions of the Russian air forces operating in Syria.
He said that such actions endanger the safety of both Coalition and Russian forces.
He called upon Russian forces to cease their “reckless” behavior and adhere to the expected standards of a professional air force. This would allow the focus to return to defeating ISIS effectively, Grynkewich said in a statement while urging Russia to cease its maneuvers in the airspace.
Previous incident, French fighter jets targeted as well
The incident followed a similar event that occurred the day before, on Wednesday, where three Russian fighter jets harassed three US drones over Syria.
In that encounter, the Russian jets dropped parachute flares in front of the US drones, necessitating evasive action.
Additionally, one Russian jet activated its afterburner, compromising the drone operator’s ability to operate the aircraft safely.
A Russian SU-35 fighter jet engaged in a “non-professional” interaction with two French Rafale fighter jets near the Iraq-Syria border, as reported by the French Armed Forces.
US Coalition and Russian support for Assad
Both the United States and Russia have a presence in Syria. The US is primarily focusing on combating the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Meanwhile, Russia has been supporting the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad.
To prevent escalation, the two militaries have relied on a deconfliction line in Syria over the past few years.
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However, media reports said, Russian military actions have increasingly violated the deconfliction protocols by flying too close to US military bases and neglecting to communicate through the established deconfliction line.
Russian pilots’ changing tactics
US officials have noted a shift in the behavior of Russian pilots, indicating a “new way of operating.”
This change includes instances of Russian fighter jets attempting to engage in dogfights with US fighter jets.
Notably, in March, a Russian SU-27 fighter jet collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in international airspace over the Black Sea, resulting in damage to the drone’s propeller and causing it to crash into the water.
