The pilot of the Su-27, who sank the American reconnaissance drone MQ-9 Reaper in the Black Sea, decided to award military correspondents and administrators of near-military Russian TG channels. This was announced by military expert Vladislav Shurygin.
“Our pilot will receive one million rubles, another hundred thousand from UAV-related units, overalls, a pair of boots and a portable emergency supply of a new type. They also promise new good watches,” he listed.
According to Shurygin, the destroyed drone could cost 23-56 million dollars. The expert added that this is not the first time the Reaper has been lost after a meeting with Russian military personnel. In 2019-2020, two American and one Italian MQ-9 drone were shot down in Libya. According to unofficial data, they were destroyed in two episodes by Wagner PMC fighters.
According to the MASH TG channel, the downed drone made four flights over the neutral waters of the Black Sea over the past day. Since the beginning of March — about 30. This modular reconnaissance and strike UAV is capable of carrying Hellfire missiles. The Pentagon refused to say whether there were weapons on board the MQ-9 Reaper.
See also: “On the Web, after the incident with the drone, the United States remembered the feat of the Soviet pilot Tsymbal”