A few days ago, Ukraine used a number of missiles aided by the United States to attack Crimea again, but unexpectedly, one missile "accidentally" deviated from the target, directly causing more than 150 civilian casualties, which angered Russia!
It is reported that the Russian army shot down an American "Global Hawk" drone yesterday, but the United States and NATO were silent about it.
The Global Hawk UAV, which costs up to $200 million, is the ace unmanned reconnaissance platform of the US military, which is equipped with advanced phased array antenna radar, cameras and sensors, which can cover tens of thousands of square kilometers and continue to fly for 24 hours to conduct long-term surveillance and intelligence gathering on hostile targets. It is an indispensable high-tech equipment for the U.S. military on multiple battlefields.
Russia's attitude can be said to be obvious, more than 100 people suffered casualties in the Crimea incident, and Russia wants the United States to repay this debt, so even if the Pentagon loses $200 million, it can only grit its teeth and swallow it in its stomach, because they are afraid of more violent retaliation by the Russian army.
The current strength of the US military is difficult for even the Houthis and Iraqi forces to cope with, let alone the Russian army. The USS Eisenhower was blown up by the Houthis and ran away, and the US military had to transfer the USS Roosevelt, which was deployed in the South China Sea, to replace the USS Eisenhower. In addition, according to Iranian media reports, Iraqi forces bombed US military bases, killing 3 people and injuring 40 others, but the United States has no face to publicly report these "negative news", so it can only pretend not to know while trying to save face.
According to RIA Novosti, in response to the Crimea incident, the US Department of Defense responded and said that it would communicate with the Ukrainian side, saying that the US side also did not want to see innocent casualties.
Looking back at the downing of the US drone, although the United States and Russia have not officially confirmed this news, it is impossible for the United States to let the Global Hawk enter Russian airspace, even if it is to assist the Ukrainian missile in completing the relay mission.
Therefore, the Russian army can only shoot down the Global Hawk on the high seas, and the Russian army has indeed shot down a US drone in international airspace before this.
Moreover, Russia has long been dissatisfied with the detection of drones by the US military. According to relevant data, the US military has deployed a large number of advanced surveillance equipment in the European direction, from high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft to ground radars, covering all directions! It has even extended to the periphery of Russia in order to be able to grasp Russia's military movements in real time.
The missile attack on Crimea became a key point in Russia's counterattack, with several civilians killed and hundreds injured in a result that Russia could never accept. Russia has not only increased its military presence in the Black Sea, but also frequently conducted air patrols and exercises, especially in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles, Russia has continuously strengthened its strikes against US drones, and the probability of such a situation in the airspace of the Black Sea will be greatly increased in the future.
In addition, since Ukraine obtained ATACMS missiles, Russia has begun to find ways to block the use of Ukrainian troops, and the actual effectiveness of these missiles will be greatly reduced if they are not supported by satellite guidance. The US military's drones can not only provide real-time battlefield information, but also act as the "eyes" of missile attacks.
No matter what aspects of the analysis, one conclusion can be drawn: even if the Russian army does not shoot down the "Global Hawk" this time, it will shoot it down later, and it will be shot down more than once.
Putin's strategy has always been clear: the Russian army must not suffer defeat on the battlefield in Ukraine. As NATO continues to provide weapons and equipment to Ukraine, and the United States allows Ukraine to use American-made weapons to attack the Russian mainland, the threat to Russia will increase in the future. Against this backdrop, in order to force the United States to compromise, Russia must demonstrate its power not to be underestimated.
It is reported that this is only the beginning of a Russian counterattack. According to internal sources, the Russian Air Force, in the process of shooting down the American Global Hawk drone, did not use missiles, but used an "unprofessional method". This "non-professional" approach makes the "Global Hawk" powerless.