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Pentagon confirms that US drone intercepted over Black Sea was on spy mission

When asked whether the drone was unarmed, Pentagon Press Secretary replied: "I'm not going to get into the specific profile of this particular aircraft as you know the MQ-9 does have the ability to be armed"

WASHINGTON, March 14. /TASS/. An MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle, intercepted by a Russian fighter jet above the Black Sea, was on an ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) mission, Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick Ryder told reporters on Tuesday.

"DOD [Department of Defense] officials have not spoken specifically to Russian authorities on this particular incident. I do know that the State Department is raising our concerns about the incident directly with the Russian government," the spokesman said, adding that the UAV "was conducting an ISR [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] mission" at the time of the incident.

When asked whether the drone was unarmed, Ryder replied: "I'm not going to get into the specific profile of this particular aircraft as you know the MQ-9 does have the ability to be armed."

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United States Russian Defense Ministry

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