The European Command of the US Army reported that a Russian Su-27 fighter jet collided with an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday.

"Our MQ-9 was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and rammed by a Russian aircraft, causing it to crash... In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional action by the Russians was caused," said Gen. James Hecker, US Air Force Europe and Africa commander. in the two plane crashes.

"Prior to the collision, on several occasions, the two Sukhoi-27s dumped fuel on the MQ-9 and flew in front of it in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner," the US command said in a statement.

NATO diplomats in Brussels confirmed the incident, but said they did not expect it to lead to an escalation and another confrontation immediately.

A Western military source told AFP, on condition of anonymity, that diplomatic channels between Russia and the United States will be activated. "In my opinion, diplomatic channels will mitigate the impact of this," he added.

The United States uses Reapers for surveillance and strikes, and has long operated over the Black Sea to monitor Russian naval forces as tensions have increased in the region since the outbreak of war in Ukraine a year ago.

General James Hecker said, "US and allied aircraft will continue to operate in international airspace, and we call on the Russians to act professionally and safely."

In Washington, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Russian interceptions in the area were common, but that this was "notable because it was unsafe, unprofessional, and really reckless."

Kirby said President Joe Biden has been briefed on the incident and that the State Department will inform Moscow of Washington's concerns.

"We don't need to inform the Russians before we fly into international airspace. It's not required and we don't," he added.

American forces have lost a number of marching Reapers in recent years, including to hostile fire. The US Central Command said that one of them was shot down in 2019 over Yemen by a surface-to-air missile launched by the Houthis.

According to media reports, an MQ-9 crashed in Libya in 2022, while another fell during training in Romania earlier the same year.

These drones can be armed with Hellfire missiles as well as laser-guided bombs and can fly more than 1,100 miles at altitudes of up to 15,000 meters (50,000 feet), according to the US Air Force.