Russian jet damages US drone with flares in latest encounter over Syria: ‘Dangerously close’

A Russian fighter jet damaged an American MQ-9 Reaper drone early Sunday in the latest dangerous air encounter with the US military over Syria, the Air Force said Tuesday. The Russian aircraft flew “dangerously close” to the US drone at approximately 12:23 a.m. local time, “harassing the MQ-9 and deploying flares from a position directly overhead, with only a few meters of separation between aircraft,” US Air Forces Central commander Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich said in a statement. Dramatic video shows the Russian aircraft approaching the Reaper drone, coming so close that the American craft’s camera captured images of the pilot in the cockpit. Soon after, the footage cuts to the Russian jet flying over the top of the American drone and deploying four flares — at least one of which struck the Reaper, “severely damaging its propeller,” AFCENT said. Images released alongside the video show a large, black burn mark near the tip of the propeller, which was bent and mangled by the heat and force of the flare. Read more at #russia #drone #syria #airforce The New York Post is your source for breaking news, news about New York, sports, business, entertainment, opinion, real estate, culture, fashion, and more. Subscribe to New York Post Sports: Catch the latest news here: Follow The New York Post on: Twitter - Facebook -