Tag: Downing

US accuses Russia of downing drone over Black Sea

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Moscow: A US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper surveillance drone was brought down over the Black Sea, after what its European Command (EUCOM) described as “an unsafe and unprofessional intercept” by two Russian jets, media reports said.
The “Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance” platform was “operating within international airspace” when the airplanes approached, EUCOM said in a statement. One of the Su-27s “struck the propeller of the MQ-9”, so the operators ditched the drone into the sea.
“Several times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner,” the US military complained, accusing the Russians of “a lack of competence”, RT reported.
General James Hecker, the commander of US Air Forces in Europe and Africa, said the drone was “conducting routine operations in international airspace” and that the crash had resulted in a “complete loss” of the MQ-9.
EUCOM said the US “routinely” operates drone flights in international airspace to “bolster collective European defence and security” and “support Allied, partner, and US national objectives”. Hecker said the flights would continue, calling on the Russians “to conduct themselves professionally and safely”.
The Kremlin and the Russian Defence Ministry have yet to comment on the alleged incident.
The US has admitted to providing Ukraine with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information in the conflict against Russia, while insisting it is not a party to the hostilities. US and NATO spy aircraft routinely fly over the Black Sea and approach Crimea, sometimes just before Ukrainian forces launch attacks on the Russian peninsula, RT reported.
Last week, a US strategic bomber flew a practice run for a missile attack on St. Petersburg, while staying in international and NATO airspace.

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#accuses #Russia #downing #drone #Black #Sea
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 15, 2023
Biden says he will not apologise for downing Chinese spy balloon

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Washington: US President Joe Biden has said that the last three of the four aerial objects shot out of the skies were probably balloons tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions; but the fourth was a Chinese spy and “I make no apologies”, he added, for bringing it down.
Biden said that he ordered the shooting of the remaining three “due to hazards to civilian commercial air traffic and because we could not rule out the surveillance risk of sensitive facilities”.
The American President acknowledged that the US knows nothing about these three, which were shot down on consecutive days last week – one over Alaska, the second over Canada in a joint operation with Canada, and the third over the American midwest.
Biden said further that he has asked for a new protocol for dealing with these kinds of unidentified aerial objects.
The Chinese spy plane, which started this shooting spree, was shot down by a US F-22 on February 4 off the coast of the American state of South Carolina on the western coast. It had been floating above the US mainland for more than a week, hovering over sensitive installations.
The Chinese owned up and expressed regret, saying the airship was studying weather and had gone off course.
The US declared the aerial intrusion as a violation of its national sovereignty and Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed his visit to Beijing to express US displeasure more forcefully.
Relations worsened as an exchange of sharp words followed, especially after Biden seemingly taunted the Chinese President Xi Jinping in his state of the union speech, saying, no world leader would like to trade places with the Chinese leader because of the spy balloon incident.

Biden sounded reconciliatory on Thursday, reiterating that the US doesn’t seek a conflict with China and it also doesn’t want a new cold war.
“This episode underscores the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between our diplomats and our military professionals,” Biden said, adding, “Our diplomats will be engaging further, and I will remain in communication with President Xi.”
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#Biden #apologise #downing #Chinese #spy #balloon
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 17, 2023
Chinese defense minister refused to talk to Austin after balloon downing, Pentagon says

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“Lines between our militaries are particularly important in moments like this. Unfortunately, the PRC has declined our request,” Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement. “Our commitment to open lines of communication will continue.”
The military shot down the balloon after it spent a week transiting Canada and the U.S.
China, which claimed the airship was a weather balloon that had gone astray, has threatened repercussions for its downing.
Wei, for his part, last June appeared to single out the United States for criticism in an international appearance in Singapore.
Meanwhile, members of both parties in the U.S. have called for aggressive action against China.
President Joe Biden said last week he wanted to shoot down the balloon earlier, but top Pentagon leaders recommended the military wait until it was over water to ensure no one on the ground was harmed by debris.
The military has since launched recovery efforts in the Atlantic Ocean to collect remnants of the balloon and its large payload.

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#Chinese #defense #minister #refused #talk #Austin #balloon #downing #Pentagon
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 8, 2023
Downing Street defends UK economy after dire IMF forecast

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London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office has been forced to defend the country’s economic performance on Tuesday after a dire International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast that the UK is set to fare worse than any other country in the developed world.
In the latest update of its economic forecasts, the IMF said that it expected the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) to contract by 0.6 percent in 2023, a downgrade from its previous assessment.
Downing Street insisted that the UK’s economy is strong despite the IMF warning that Britain’s economy will go into reverse this year.
“The IMF itself said that UK economic policy is now on the right track,” Sunak’s official spokesperson told reporters.
The spokesperson added that the UK outperformed many forecasts last year and was “predicted to grow faster than Germany and Japan over the coming years”.
The Opposition Labour Party raised an urgent question in the House of Commons on the IMF forecast and blamed it on 13 years of a Conservative Party led government’s “failure”.
“Today’s IMF assessment holds a mirror up to the wasted opportunities and it is not a pretty sight,” said Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor.
“The UK is the only major economy forecast to shrink this year. Weaker growth compared to our competitors for both of the next two years. The world upgraded, Britain downgraded. Growth even worse than sanctions-hit Russia,” said Reeves.

IMF said in its latest analysis that while the broader global economy was doing better than expected, with inflation having peaked and investment beginning to turn around, the UK economy would face a downgrade “reflecting tighter fiscal and monetary policies and financial conditions and still-high energy retail prices weighing on household budgets”.
UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said of the forecast: “The governor of the Bank of England recently said that any UK recession this year is likely to be shallower than previously predicted, however these figures confirm we are not immune to the pressures hitting nearly all advanced economies.
“Short-term challenges should not obscure our long-term prospects the UK outperformed many forecasts last year, and if we stick to our plan to halve inflation, the UK is still predicted to grow faster than Germany and Japan over the coming years.”
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#Downing #Street #defends #economy #dire #IMF #forecast
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 31, 2023