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US jets intercept Russian Tu-95 bombers near Alaska; first encounter there since US drone taken down

FOX News

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. U.S. fighter jets intercepted Russian bomber aircraft near Alaska Monday, according to the Alaskan Region of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). NORAD made the announcement Wednesday in an official statement. "The Alaskan Region of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected, tracked, positively identified and intercepted two Russian aircraft entering and operating within the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on April 17, 2023," the defense organization said.


White House's Kirby blasts Russia for awarding pilots behind US drone crash: 'at best, just an idiot'

FOX News

Former U.S. Amb. to NATO Kurt Volker says the Russian fighter jet collision was'intentional' and requires a'firm response' from the U.S. The Biden administration blasted Russia for honoring two pilots for downing a U.S. drone in international airspace while saying the aviator who crashed into the drone was "at best, just an idiot." Last week, the Kremlin issued state awards to the fighter jet pilots responsible for downing the U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea earlier the week prior. In an official statement, the Ministry of Defense commended the pilots for preventing the drone from "violating the boundaries of the temporary airspace regime established for the special military operation." U.S. European Command said a Russian Su-27 fighter jet colliding with a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea. A screenshot shows a jet dumping fuel.


Senator, former combat pilot says it's not just Russian aggression that caused midair crash

FOX News

Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., weighs in on challenges Border Patrol faces as more migrants flood the southern border on'Special Report.' The crash between a Russian fighter jet and a U.S. drone likely resulted from the pilot's aggression and "incompetence," according to former astronaut and Navy captain, Sen. Mark Kelly. "Look at the level of incompetence – I mean when we saw the flanker yesterday, which basically had a midair with the MQ-9 [drone], with a reaper … I spent 15 years in the astronaut office, I used to fly with Russian fighter pilots in the backseat of my plane," Kelly, D-AZ., told Fox News chief political anchor and host of "Special Report with Brett Baier" during an interview Thursday. "The level of incompetence in the Russian pilots that I flew with was shocking to me." Russia has denied that its plane crashed into the U.S. drone despite video evidence showing the plane make at least two fly-bys, including one in which it appeared to dump fuel on the drone before the feed abruptly cut off, and the drone crashed into the Black Sea. On Friday, Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu reportedly presented the pilots responsible for crashing the drone with state awards, saying the pilots prevented the drone from "violating the boundaries of the temporary airspace regime established for the special military operation," referring to the invasion of Ukraine.


Russia gives state awards to pilots behind US drone crash

FOX News

Former U.S. Amb. to NATO Kurt Volker says the Russian fighter jet collision was'intentional' and requires a'firm response' from the U.S. The Russian government has awarded the pilots involved in the harassment and crash of a U.S. drone in international airspace. Russian minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu presented state awards to the fighter jet pilots responsible for downing a U.S. drone over the Black Sea earlier this week. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Eternal Flame and the Unknown Soldier's Grave in Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow. In an official statement, the Ministry of Defense commended the pilots for preventing the drone from "violating the boundaries of the temporary airspace regime established for the special military operation." The statement accuses the U.S. drone of flying with its transponders off.


Pentagon says its 'highly unlikely' Russia will find anything useful if it recovers US drone from Black Sea

FOX News

It is "highly unlikely" Russia will find anything useful if it manages to recover a U.S. surveillance drone from the deep waters of the Black Sea where it crashed earlier this week after colliding with a Russian fighter jet, the Pentagon said Thursday. Gen. Pat Ryder comes amid reports that Russia was making an effort to recover the MQ-9 Reaper drone's debris. Ryder reiterated Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley's assertion that no sensitive material was compromised in the drone incident. "We do have indications that Russia's likely making an effort to try to recovery MQ-9 debris," Ryder said. "However, we assess it's very unlikely that they would be able to recovery anything useful, given a couple of factors."


NATO mum in wake of Russia downing US drone; 'time to show steely resolve' says expert

FOX News

Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker says the Russian fighter jet collision was'intentional' and requires a'firm response' from the U.S. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has yet to comment publicly on the downing of a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone by two Russian SU-27 fighter jets this week, in what one NATO expert says may be an "overabundance of caution." "There should be broad condemnation of Russia's attack on the U.S. drone by all NATO Allies," Marshall Billingslea, a former deputy undersecretary of the Navy and assistant secretary general for defense investment at NATO, who is now serving as a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, told Fox News Digital. "Many, especially those allies on the eastern front, have experience with Russian pilots engaging in aggressive and unprofessional actions." NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during the annual Society and Defence Conference in Salen, Sweden, on Jan. 8, 2023. The U.S. has accused Russia of purposefully harassing and then striking down the $32 million drone used for intelligence collecting.


Russia flying more armed aircraft over US bases in Syria, US CENTCOM commander says

FOX News

U.S. CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Kurilla told senators Thursday that the Pentagon has seen an "increase recently in the unprofessional and unsafe behavior of the Russian Air Force." U.S. Central Command has seen more "unprofessional" and "unsafe" behavior from Russian pilots in Syria since March 1, a commander said Thursday. Gen. Michael Kurilla explained the ongoing harassment of U.S. forces in the region at a meeting of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. Gen. Michael Kurilla testifies during his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in 2022. "What we are seeing, though, is an increase recently in the unprofessional and unsafe behavior of the Russian Air Force in the region," Kurilla stated.


Russian ships at US drone crash site in Black Sea, US official says: 'They wasted no time'

FOX News

U.S. European Command on Thursday released video of a Russian Su-27 fighter jet colliding with a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea, March 14. Russian vessels have already arrived at the drone crash site in the Black Sea, a U.S. defense official tells Fox News. Almost immediately after the MQ-9 drone was clipped by a Su-27 fighter jet and downed into the water, Russia sent ships to search the debris field. "They wasted no time," the defense official told Fox News. U.S. European Command on Thursday released video of a Russian Su-27 fighter jet colliding with a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea, March 14.


US video shows moment Russian fighter jet collides with US drone

FOX News

U.S. European Command on Thursday released video of a Russian Su-27 fighter jet colliding with a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea, March 14. U.S. officials have released video that shows a Russian Su-27 fighter jet colliding with the propeller of a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone. The video release by the U.S. military's European Command on Thursday came amid a race to secure the downed American aircraft. Russian ships are at the MQ-9 drone crash site in the Black Sea, a U.S. defense official told Fox News Thursday. Russia sent ships to search the debris field almost immediately following the crash.