Close encounter of US coalition UAV, Russian jet in Syria

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
7 Sep 2023 23:55

The Head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria reported that a Russian jet came into close proximity with a US coalition UAV.

An MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle flies a combat mission over southern Afghanistan on November 28, 2008 (Wiki Commons)

An MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle of the US-led coalition in Syria came into close proximity with a Russian An-30 jet, Sputnik reported, citing Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit, deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria.

"At 09:37 [local time, 06:37 GMT] at an altitude of 6,200 meters [20,341 feet] near the area of the Syrian city of Tall Rifat a close encounter took place between an unmanned aerial vehicle MQ-9 of the US-led coalition and an An-30 aircraft of the Russian aerospace forces, which was making a planned flight along the northern border of Syria. The Russian pilots, demonstrating high professionalism, took the necessary measures in a timely manner to prevent a collision," Kulit told a briefing.

Back in late August, Vadim Kulit reported that two F-35 fighter jets from the US occupation's coalition flew "dangerously close" to a Russian Su-35 aircraft in Syria, forcing the pilot to maneuver in order to avoid a crash.

During a briefing, Kulit detailed that "On August 25, at 9:32 [06:32 am GMT], a pair of coalition F-35 fighters flew dangerously close to a Su-35 aircraft of the Russian aerospace forces, which was making a scheduled flight along the southern border of Syria, in the al-Tanf area, at an altitude of about 6,500 meters [21300 feet], The Russian pilot showed high professionalism and took the necessary measures in a timely manner to prevent a collision."

The US has maintained an illegal presence and troops in Syria under the guise of fighting ISIS since 2014.