--- title: "Video Shows Russian Jet Showering US Drone With Fuel Before Colliding With It" description: "The US military has released a dramatic video of a Russian fighter jet dousing an American drone in jet fuel before colliding with it. " date: "2023-03-16" modified: "2023-03-16" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/video-russian-jet-american-drone-fuel" categories: - "Drones" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "drones" - "Russia" - "the digest" - "US military" --- # Video Shows Russian Jet Showering US Drone With Fuel Before Colliding With It ![]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Fuel For Thought The US military has released a dramatic video of a mid-air exchange between an American drone and a Russian fighter jet that first doused the drone in jet fuel before colliding with it. As [*CNN*]() and other outlets report, the aircraft altercation occurred earlier this week above the Black Sea in Eastern Europe. According to officials, the entire encounter — which is the first time US and Russian aircraft have come into contact since the latter invaded Ukraine more than a year ago — lasted between 30 and 40 minutes. This newly-released footage was captured by the American MQ-9 Reaper drone's camera, which at the time was pointed toward its tail and rear propeller. The video of the incident shows the Russian Sukhoi SU-27 fighter jet beginning to dump fuel in an apparent attempt to sabotage the unmanned American craft. https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1636307410682884097 Later in the footage, the Russian jet is seen making another fuel-dumping pass before colliding with the Reaper drone. When the camera comes back online, it's clear that the back propeller had been damaged by the crash, which ultimately led to US officials downing it in the waters below. As *CNN* notes, American military officials say that they were able to remotely wipe the drone's software so that anyone who intercepted it in the international waters it landed in outside Crimea — which, as you'll recall, [Russia annexed back in 2014]() — would not be able to access the sensitive information or technology stored on it. ## Who Knew Following the news of the in-air Russian offensive, three US officials familiar with the altercation [told *NBC News*]() that the highest levels of the Kremlin had approved the attack on the drone, though it's unclear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin himself had signed off. Those same officials said that the Russian fighter pilot likely didn't intend to clip the drone's rear propeller, which [Russian officials denied]() happening prior to the video being released. Thus far, the US has not salvaged the drone wreckage and isn't expected to do so. Although intelligence suggests Russia had reached the crash site, it would be "impossible for \[the Russian military\] to be able to glean anything of intelligence value off the remnants of that drone," [an American official told *CNN*]() because its memory was wiped. All said, the first US-Russia air contact since the [Ukrainian invasion]() began could have gone a lot worse — but it nevertheless doesn't bode well as Russia's [offensive drags on](). **More on Russia:** [*NSYNC's Lance Bass Was Training to Be a Cosmonaut When He Heard Something Fascinating*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()