Why did Russians dump fuel on American drone?

Why did Russians dump fuel on American drone? The U.S. military's declassified 42-second color footage shows a Russian Su-27 approaching the back of the MQ-9 Reaper drone and releasing fuel as it passes, the Pentagon said. Dumping the fuel appeared to be aimed at blinding the drone's optical instruments to drive it from the area.

How do fighter jets not crash into each other?

Fighter jets are equipped with an automatic recovery system called Auto-GCAS4 (Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System). This system determines if a collision is probable based on trajectory and speed.

Did the US get the drone back?

White House spokesman John Kirby said the drone may never be recovered, but that U.S. authorities had taken precautions to ensure Russia's ability to draw useful intelligence from the craft would be limited if a Russian team did so.

What is the Russian jet maneuver?

The Kulbit (also known as the Frolov chakra) is an aerial maneuver developed by Russian pilots in which the aircraft performs an extremely tight loop, often not much wider than the length of the aircraft itself.

Why do planes burn fuel before landing?

Airplanes frequently depart the airport heavier than the maximum landing weight allowed – the threshold at which a given aircraft can sustain a very hard landing without damage. During a normal flight, the plan is to burn fuel so the plane's weight will below that number by the time it lands.

Do planes still dump fuel before landing?

Airlines find that fuel dumping can actually be cheaper than not dumping in certain circumstances. But it's not something pilots do on a routine basis. We spoke with Alison Duquette, spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), who assured us that it doesn't happen very often.

Which planes Cannot dump fuel?

Since most twin jet airliners can meet these requirements, most aircraft of this type such as the Boeing 737 (all models), the DC-9/MD80/Boeing 717, the A320 family and various regional jet (RJ) aircraft do not have fuel dump systems installed.

Do planes dump fuel in water?

In this case, the aircraft will try to do it overland (not water) or away from populated areas, as it is the equivalent of dumping thousands of liters of petrol onto an urban area. The FAA mentions explicitly that any dumping can't occur under 2,000 feet.