Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter jets have shot down a terrorist drone in Syria, according to the Ministry of Defence.
The two RAF Typhoon FGR4s were patrolling over Syria and Iraq on Tuesday as part of a global coalition fighting the Islamic State (which is also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh)..
The pilots were tasked with investigating hostile drone activity near the Al Tanf military base and soon identified a small hostile drown in the area.
An advanced short-range air-to-air missile (ASRAAM) was used to shoot the drone out of the sky.
The official strike statement read: “On Tuesday 14 December, hostile drone activity was detected around the Al Tanf coalition base in Syria.
“A pair of Typhoon FGR4s from Royal Air Force Akrotiri were conducting one of their regular patrols over Syria and Iraq as part of the global coalition against Daesh, and were tasked to investigate.
“On arrival in the Al Tanf area, the pilots were able to identify a small hostile drone, and despite the diminutive size of the target, succeeded in conducting an air to air engagement with an ASRAAM which eliminated the threat it posed to coalition forces.”
The Ministry of Defence said that this was the first operational air-to-air engagement carried out by an RAF Typhoon and the first air-to-air missile firing during Operation Shader, which is targeting the remnants of the Islamic State.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “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.
“We continue to do everything we can alongside our coalition partners to stamp out the terrorist threat and protect our personnel and our partners.”
