US will continue drone flights after ‘hazardous episode’ with Russian warplane, Austin says

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed on Wednesday that the United States will continue to fly its aircraft, even after an incident with a Russian warplane on Tuesday.

“This hazardous episode is part of a pattern of aggressive, risky, and unsafe actions by Russian pilots in international airspace,” Austin said in his opening remarks to a group of countries supporting Ukraine.

“So make no mistake: The United States will continue to fly and to operate wherever international law allows,” he continued. “And it is incumbent upon Russia to operate its military aircraft in a safe and professional manner.”

Russian forces downed a U.S. drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday, sparking fears that the incident could escalate tensions between the two countries. Two Russian jets flanked the MQ-9 Reaper, with one dumping fuel in front of the U.S. aircraft and the other damaging the drone’s propeller, forcing it to go down.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday it was not uncommon for Russian jets to intercept American aircraft, but this incident was “noteworthy because of how unsafe and unprofessional it was.”

Kirby said on “CNN This Morning” on Wednesday that U.S. officials are determining whether the drone can be recovered, but it fell into “very deep water.”

Russia claimed that its warplane did not make contact with the drone, but instead the drone maneuvered sharply, causing it to fall into the water.

“As a result of a sharp maneuver, the MQ-9 drone went into unguided flight with a loss of altitude and crashed into the water,” the defense ministry said.