A screenshot taken from the onboard camera of a USAF MQ-9A Reaper UAV as it is harassed by a Russian Su-27 Flanker fighter over the Black Sea on 14 March. Despite the Reaper eventually being destroyed, the RAF says it continues to operate its manned aircraft in the region, “in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization rules”. (US DoD)

The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) continues to operate in the Black Sea region, despite the recent downing of a US Air Force (USAF) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) off the coast of Ukraine.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) told Janes on 20 March that the harassment and eventual downing of a USAF MQ-9A Reaper UAV the previous week had not impacted its operations in the region, which “continue in international airspace in accordance with [the] International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rules”.

RAF aircraft operating in the region include Eurofighter Typhoon fighters, Airbus Voyager tankers, and L3 Technologies RC-135V/W Airseeker (Rivet Joint) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft, but not the Reaper or any other type of UAV.