A Royal Air Force Typhoon has shot down a small hostile drone in Syria in an event that marked the first operational air-to-air engagement conducted by an RAF Typhoon.
This was also the first time the Royal Air Force fired an air-to-air missile during operation Shader.
According to a defense ministry statement, the enemy drone posed a threat to Coalition forces in the area.
The engagement took place on December 14 when the drone activity was detected above the At Tanf Coalition base in Syria. As the drone continued on its track, it became clear it posed a threat to coalition forces.
RAF Typhoons conducting routine patrols in the area were tasked to investigate. Despite the small size of the drone making it a very challenging target, it was successfully shot down using an Advanced Short Range Air to Air Missile (ASRAAM) and the threat eliminated.
This comes several weeks after the RAF successfully eliminated a known terrorist threat in Syria using a remotely piloted Reaper armed with Hellfire missiles.
“This strike is an impressive demonstration of the RAF’s ability to take out hostile targets in the air which pose a threat to our forces,” UK defense secretary Ben Wallace said.
“We continue to do everything we can alongside our coalition partners to stamp out the terrorist threat and protect our personnel and our partners,” he added.
