![]() With the permission of John Dann, UK, © Copyright 2013. Headstone photos on this page were supplied by and used Reference sources – Australian WW2 Nominal Roll National Archives of Australia (Service Files, Casualty Files, Loss of Aircraft File, 462 Squadron Operational Record Book, Movement File) Australian War Memorial (Roll of Honour) Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Links to Additional Crew information, Crew Ops, & Aircraft Loss. Three other crews from 462 Squadron also failed to return from this Op (Pilots TOOTAL, ELY and RIDGEWELL). Some refer to Halifax III MZ477 Z5-A, others to Halifax III MZ447 Z5-A. Reports differ as to the serial number of the aircraft involved. Seven members of this crew were killed on a night Op to the Ruhr area on 24 February 1945. Wireless Operator: Victor Joseph TRUNK (KIA)įlight Engineer: Stewart John Alfred PEGRAM (KIA) Newstead collection.Ĭrew 13, 462 Squadron, Driffield and Foulsham The deliberate downing of a manned aircraft - injuring or killing crew members - could be considered an act of war.462 A tribute to the Crew of Halifax III, NA-240, Z5-VĬrew 13, Pilot Allan John Rate – 462 Squadron RAAF It’s not clear if the Russian pilots were willing to get closer to the Reaper or dump fuel on it because they knew it was unmanned - and therefore there was no risk to an American pilot or crew. In most of the cases, the intercepts are deemed safe and professional. fighter jets intercepted two Russian TU-95 bombers in international airspace off Alaska’s coast, and “escorted them” for 12 minutes, according to the Pentagon.Īnd Russian aircraft have done similar missions, and also buzzed U.S. warships more frequently deployed to the Black Sea in response to Russia’s 2014 attack on Crimea.įor the most part, however, military intercepts - either in the air or at sea - are routine and have happened a number of times with Russian aircraft in the Pacific, particularly in the north. Until Russia’s invasion last year of Ukraine, U.S. In 2021, Russian warplanes buzzed the USS Donald Cook, a Navy destroyer, which had been taking part in a major exercise. warships during exercises in the Black Sea. The Reaper, which first began operating in 2007, replaced the Air Force’s smaller Predator drones. It can fly at an altitude of up to 50,000 feet (15 kilometers) and has a range of about 1,400 nautical miles (2,500 kilometers). It is about 36 feet long, 12 feet high, and weighs about 4,900 pounds (11 meters long, 4 meters high, and 2,200 kilograms). It can carry up to eight laser-guided missiles, including Hellfire missiles and other sophisticated munitions, and can loiter over targets for about 24 hours. Used routinely during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars for surveillance and airstrikes, the Reaper can be either armed or unarmed. The team includes a rated pilot who is responsible for flying the aircraft and an enlisted aircrew member who is charged with operating the sensors and guiding weapons. It includes a ground control station and satellite equipment and has a 66-foot (20-meter) wingspan. The MQ-9 Reaper is a large unmanned Air Force aircraft that is remotely operated by a two-person team. forces to have to bring the MQ-9 down in international waters.” They said the Russian jets flew around and in front of the drone several times for 30 to 40 minutes, and then one of the Russian aircraft “struck the propeller of the MQ-9, causing U.S. European Command said that two Russian Su-27 aircraft dumped fuel on the MQ-9, which was conducting a routine surveillance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace. But National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told CNN that the Reaper crashed into very deep water and he was not sure whether a recovery was possible.Ī look at what’s known and what’s uncertain about the incident. Russian authorities said Wednesday that they will try to recover the fragments of the drone. A Pentagon spokesman raised the possibility that the Defense Department could eventually declassify and release video it has of the collision. and Russian officials had conflicting accounts of the collision Tuesday between the MQ-9 Reaper drone and the Russian Su-27 fighter jet each side blamed the other. diplomatic protest and raised concerns about the possibility Russia could recover sensitive technology. surveillance drone over the Black Sea, it was a rare but serious incident that triggered a U.S. WASHINGTON (AP) - When a Russian fighter jet collided with a large U.S.
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