U.S. MQ-9 'Reaper' Drones Compared to Russia's 'Orion' UAV

Russia's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is not quite as formidable, however, according to Samuel Bendett, Russia analyst for the Center for Naval Analyses.

Bendett told Newsweek that the Reaper "is much better than Orion since it's been flying for many years and is a much more battle-proven platform than the Russian drone."

Prior to the Reaper being brought down Tuesday, the Su-27s reportedly dumped fuel on and flew in front of it "in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner."

"Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9," said U.S. Air Force General James B. Hecker, commander, U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa. "In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash."

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