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WATCH: U.S. Reaper Drone Dodges Russian Fighter Jet Flares Over Syria

U.S. Air Forces Central accused Russia of a “new level of unprofessional and unsafe action.”

Video footage released by the U.S. Air Forces Central shows Russian fighter jets flying dangerously close to American drones over Syria on Wednesday, with the MQ-Reapers forced to take evasive action after the jets set off flares. The footage shows a Russian SU-35 flying close to a Reaper and dropping parachute flares into the drone’s flightpath. “Additionally, one Russian pilot positioned their aircraft in front of an MQ-9 and engaged afterburner, dynamically increasing speed and air pressure, which reduced the MQ-9 operator’s ability to safely operate the aircraft,” the U.S. Air Forces Central said in a statement. “These events represent a new level of unprofessional and unsafe action by Russian air forces operating in Syria.”