A US MQ-9 Reaper drone was fired at by a Russian SA-22 Pantsir air defense system in Syria back in November, a US official told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
The incident was first revealed by one of the Pentagon documents allegedly leaked by Jack Teixeira. The US official disclosed new information about the incident, saying the Russian missile came within 40 feet of the MQ-9 and damaged the drone when the warhead exploded.
The details of the incident are not clear. It’s unknown if Russia intentionally fired on the drone or knew if it was a US aircraft. According to the leaked document, the missile was fired from the Qamishili Airfield in northeast Syria, an area where both the US and Russian militaries have a presence.
Col. Joe Buccino, a spokesman for US Central Command, told The War Zone that the US and Russian militaries discussed the incident through deconfliction lines. “After the incident, CENTCOM officials contacted the Russian deconfliction center about the matter,” he said.
Buccino added that such incidents in Syria are “not routine.” A US MQ-9 Reaper Drone had another encounter with Russia over the Black Sea in March, which led to the downing of the drone after it was intercepted by Russian aircraft.
The incident in Syria demonstrates the danger of the US presence in the country as it serves as a tripwire for a potential conflict with Syria’s allies, which includes Russia and Iran. Damascus is strongly opposed to the US occupation of eastern Syria.
The US needs to get its a– out of Syria and back home.
I support that. Hope you’d say that about Russia out of Ukraine.
The people in the Donbass area and in Crimea voted overwhelmingly that they wanted to be annexed by Russia. The people in Syria never voted that they wanted to be annexed or taken over by the U.S.. You are for peoples’ right to self determination aren’t you?
Pretty unimpressive performance, Don’t drones fly slow and straight and level.
If drones fly slow, why do many of them have jet engines?
Very few of them have jet engines, MQ-9 reaper for instance. Yes the biggest biggest drones have jets but there are very few of those Global Hawk for instance, there are 42 of them per Wiki and they fly at 400mph
Like the one that hit the Pentagon.
That was a passenger plane but it’s ok to believe conspiracy theories and you can tell that to the families of those souls lost on that plane.
A passenger plane with only one engine.
If you haven’t figured out that the entire attack was a false flag, either you are a spook or too gullible to repair.
I won’t even argue this. It’s easier to call you an idiot.
You know a lot about idiocy, it seems.
Being terminally gullible comes in handy in your ignorant world.
If the country had actually been under attack, do you really think that the Secret Service would have let Bush continue to be in an unsecured public school classroom if they didn’t know Cheney was directing everything from the bunker under the White House, where he countermanded shooting down the airliners, as NORAD would normally have done.
CNN’s Jamie McIntyre was at the Pentagon when it happened and the first thing he said when he got to the scene was that was no airplane debris on the ground. Of course, it has been sanitized since.
Maybe this was just a warning, like the drone near Crimea. Hopefully these drones will find better locations, on the other side of the Atlantic.
Meh, if Russia really wanted to urinate in certain bowls of Wheaties, they’d just share some EW info with Iran, China, and Syria.
It’s open season on US drones.
Yes, go ahead and join. Seriously,, do so.
You are a Russian Hacker so im sure you can take out many of them.
Go ahead, i’d like to hear your thoughts afterwards.
I think you’re a drone.
“Damascus is strongly opposed to the US occupation..” should read “Damascus is strongly opposed to the illegal and unprovoked US invasion and seizure of eastern Syria, and their refusal to withdraw from a sovereign nation”. Our actions are no less objectionable than what Russia is doing in Ukraine.
Well said Javy!
And the theft of Syrian oil, Javy!
Boo hoo.
Who cares, the US should not be in Syria!
But they’re to help the moderate rebels fight for freedom against Assad , you know those Al Qaeda affiliated rebels
“Almost hit”….
but exploded which damaged it.
Perhaps it worked perfectly and the explosion near enough to damage is the way it was designed?
yes that makes sense because maybe it could have then crashed and russia might have recovered it
After all the thing blowing up had to be on purpose.
Hitting something is hard but going boom nearby to drop something is easier
everybody thinks that uncle sam is the idiot but the reality is that he has the very best guidance systems on the entire planet
Ours are good; theirs are good too.
NoKo being the acception.
They are still trying to master 1960’s missle tech in their quest to hit oceans. Once they can hit a ocean consistantly they’ll work on 1970’s tech.
i still have a lava-lamp
lol………………………………………………………..
Magic 8-ball.
“…damaged the drone when the warhead exploded,” is not the same as “…almost hit the drone.” Then “After the incident, CENTCOM officials contacted the Russian deconfliction center about the matter,” at 1-who-gives-a$hit. The number recently changed from 1-who-gives-a-flying-f&ck. Prior to that, the number was 1-your-future-WWIII-enemy. But I have a feeling this line will soon be disconnected altogether. (Sarcasm alert)
Drone war is acceptable if no lives are lost. May the best drone win.
Maybe it’s not too bad if U.S. drones get shot down or destroyed in Syria or other places. It will help create jobs replacing them right here in America. It’s one of the few production sectors of the American economy that we haven’t outsourced to Asia.
Given the Russians are legally in Syria belligerent forces such as those of the US are legal targets.