Washington, 14 March 2023 (dpa/MIA) - An unmanned US military drone collided with a Russian fighter jet in international airspace over the Black Sea, the US Air Force said.

The incident took place at 0603 GMT Tuesday when two Russian Su-27 aircraft "conducted an unsafe and unprofessional intercept" of the MQ-9 surveillance drone, a statement by US Air Forces Europe said.

One of the two Russian jets struck a propeller on the drone, the statement said.

"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," it continued.

US forces brought the drone down over international waters.

"Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9," said Air Force General James B Hecker, who is the commander of US Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa.

"In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash. US and allied aircraft will continue to operate in international airspace and we call on the Russians to conduct themselves professionally and safely," Hecker said in the statement.