To prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State [EI ou Daesh]to keep tabs on other terrorist organizations more or less affiliated with Al Qaeda and to support the Syrian Democratic Forces [FDS, à dominante kurde]the US-led anti-jihadist coalition [Inherent Resolve] continues its operations in Syria, where Russian forces are also stationed, under a Moscow-Damascus agreement.
While never easy, coexistence between Inherent Resolve and the Russian Armed Forces has become increasingly strained since the start of the war in Ukraine. And this despite the fact that the American and Russian general staffs had reached an agreement on “conflict resolution” in 2015.
This is how the US Centcom, the American command for the Middle East and Central Asia, started in the last few weeks [et dont relève Inherent Resolve, ndlr] reported a significant increase in incidents involving Russian forces [survols agressifs des positions américaines dans l’est de la Syrie, interceptions dangereuses, etc]. To counteract this, the Pentagon decided in June to deploy the F-22A Raptor air superiority aircraft in Jordan [a priori sur la base aérienne Muwaffaq Salti, ndlr].
Apparently, this measure has not yet had the expected effect… Three MALE drones were deployed on July 5th [Moyenne Altitude Longue Endurance] US MQ-9A Reapers were “harassed” by Russian Su-35 Flanker-Es while patrolling suspected IS positions.
“Around 10:40 a.m., Russian military aircraft behaved dangerously and unprofessionally while interacting with American aircraft in Syria,” said Gen. Alex Grynkewich, commander of the US Centcom Air Force. [AFCENT]. A video of this “interaction” was released by the Pentagon.
“When three MQ-9 drones were conducting a mission against the Islamic State, three Russian warplanes began harassing them. Contrary to the applicable norms and protocols, they dropped several flares and forced our drones to do evasive maneuvers. Also, a Russian pilot turned on the afterburner ahead of one of the MQ-9s. “These incidents are another example of unprofessional and dangerous actions by the Russian Air Force operating in Syria,” he continued.
Especially since this is not the first time that an American MALE drone has been attacked in Syria. In April, a US military source confirmed to Air & Space Forces Magazine that one such device was missed by a missile from a Russian Pantsir S1 air defense system in November 2022. [ou SA-22 Greyhound] during a surveillance mission in eastern Syria.
However, the attitude of the Russian pilots is reminiscent of the attitude that led to the loss of an American MQ-9 Reaper over the Black Sea last March. The plane was “harassed” by two Su-27 flankers before being hit by one of them. At the time, the American command for Europe, if it had denounced such behavior, spoke of a possible “accidental” collision.