France unhappy with Russian Su-35 pilots acting aggressively in relation to Reaper drone

The French Ministry of Defense claimed that a Russian fighter jet came dangerously close to a French drone three times, which could have led to a loss of control.

The French Ministry of Defense said that a Russian Su-35S fighter jet repeatedly approached a French Reaper drone operating over the eastern Mediterranean.

According to French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, the incident occurred on Sunday, March 2, while the drone was conducting a surveillance mission over neutral waters. The Russian Su-35S made three close manoeuvres, which were described as "aggressive" and potentially capable of causing the drone to lose control.

It is believed that the French Reaper was monitoring the movement of the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean or near the Syrian coast. The Su-35S may have taken off from the Khmeimim Airbase, which continues to operate despite the recent change of power in Damascus.

In mid-January, the French military had previously reported that their reconnaissance aircraft was affected by Russian electronic warfare systems and the radar guidance of a ground-based air defense system over the Baltic Sea, possibly near Russia's Kaliningrad region.

Details

The Sukhoi Su-35 (Russian: Сухой Су-35; NATO reporting name: Flanker-E/M, occasionally nicknamed "Super Flanker") is the designation for two improved derivatives of the Su-27 air-defence fighter. They are single-seat, twin-engine, supermaneuverable, 4.5 generation air superiority fighters, designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau and built by Sukhoi. The type was originally developed by the Soviet Union from the Su-27 and was known as the Su-27M. It incorporated canards and a multi-function radar giving it multi-role capabilities. The first prototype made its maiden flight in June 1988. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union Sukhoi re-designated it as the Su-35 to attract export orders. Fourteen aircraft were produced and used for tests and demonstrations; one example had thrust-vectoring engines and was in turn redesignated the Su-37. A sole Su-35UB two-seat trainer was also built in the late 1990s that resembled the Su-30MK family.