‘This cannot pass without consequences’: Tories warn Russian fighter jet attack on US Reaper drone could spark major escalation as it is claimed Putin personally ordered the clash – with race to salvage secret kit from bottom of the Black Sea

• Tensions rising between Russia and the US after clash between jet and drone 

Tories today warned there must be ‘consequences’ for the Russian fighter jet attack on a US drone – amid a race to salvage the debris.

Defence committee chair Tobias Ellwood said the ‘incredible’ incident was an example of how quickly tensions can escalate.

Drone camera footage released by the Pentagon shows the terrifying confrontation over the Black Sea, with an Su-27 jet approaching the Reaper drone from behind, clipping its propeller and dumping fuel over it.

US forces had to bring down the $32million aircraft after the encounter in international airspace on Tuesday, sparking a dash to recover the wreckage.

There have been claims that the clash was approved at the ‘highest levels’ of the Kremlin, potentially by Vlaimir Putin himself. 

Released footage shows the moment a Russian fighter dumped fuel on an American drone

Officials familiar with U.S. intelligence on the incident that led to the downing of a U.S. Reaper drone said the ‘highest levels’ at the Kremlin approved the ‘aggressive’ Russian intercept over the Black Sea. One official said he didn’t get indications it went all the way to President Vladimir Putin

According to US officials the MQ-9 Reaper drone was intercepted by two Russian Su-27 jets that dumped fuel on top of the drone before clipping its propeller, forcing it to crash

The $32million US Reaper drone taken out of the sky by Russia

The dramatic 42-second clip follows Russian claims its jet did not make contact with the drone, instead claiming the drone crashed on its own after ‘sharp manoeuvering’.

Moscow also said it would work to retrieve the wreckage in what would be a propaganda coup for Putin, after earlier warning that it will ‘consider any action with US weaponry as openly hostile’.

US officials have said the drone is in deep water thousands of feet below the surface, and is ‘no longer’ of intelligence value.

It is the first direct confrontation between Russia and the US since the start of the war in Ukraine.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken to his Russian counterpart, calling the encounter ‘provocative in nature’ and saying it risked escalating the situation around the Black Sea.

Mr Ellwood told the Express: ‘This incident illustrates how drone warfare is altering the character of conflict. 

‘Russia would not have dumped fuel if the plane had been manned.’

He added: ‘This was a blatant attack over international airspace and should not pass without consequences.’ 

The newly-declassified clip shared today shows the unmanned drone come into contact with a Russian jet after flying ‘in the vicinity’ of the aircraft for 30 to 40 minutes just after 7am CET (6am GMT) on Tuesday.

The sequential video, edited by the US military for length, shows one of two Russian jets flying over international waters pull up on the drone, approaching from behind.

On Tuesday night public flight data showed a US Navy P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft was patrolling over the Romanian coastline, possibly related to a recovery operation 

An American MQ-9 Reaper drone (left) and a Russian Su-27 fighter jet (right)

Video shows the Russian fighter approaching the American drone from behind and beginning to release fuel as it passes – the Pentagon said

The plane begins to dump fuel on the drone before the camera suffers damage 

The drone’s camera stabilizes after the SU-27 passes overhead, clipping its propeller

After the clash, the onboard camera shows a broken propeller (L) and a comparative operational propeller (R) turning. Russia previously said it did not make contact with the drone

The jet is shown to dump fuel as it passes. Fuel dumping is usually used by aircraft in emergency situations to lose weight.

The drone’s camera suffers damage before it is forced to make an emergency landing in international waters below.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby slammed Russia’s actions as reckless and dangerous.

But the Russian defense ministry pushed back, saying in a statement, ‘Russian fighters did not use airborne weapons and did not come into contact with the American drone.

‘Due to sharp maneuvering, the American drone went into uncontrolled flight with a loss of altitude and collided with the water surface.’

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley (not seen) and U.S Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hold a joint press conference in Pentagon Arlington-Virginia, United States on March 15, 2023

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