RAF F-35 stealth jets score 1st combat kill with Iranian drone shootdown
March 3, 2026
The Royal Air Force’s F-35B Lightning II has recorded its first confirmed combat kill, with the UK Ministry of Defence saying the stealth jets shot down hostile drones while operating over Jordan in the past 24 hours.
The interceptions come as the Middle East enters an intense air-defence phase. Iran continues to launch waves of missiles and one-way attack drones in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the UK government confirmed that British forces had intercepted multiple drones across the region, including engagements involving RAF aircraft.
Reuters reported that the MoD said RAF F-35Bs shot down aerial threats over Jordan, marking the first time an RAF F-35 has destroyed a target during operations.
RAF F-35 shoots down Iranian-designed drones over Jordan
While the MoD has not publicly detailed the weapon used in the F-35 engagement, the interception is operationally significant. It demonstrates the aircraft’s ability to detect, track and prosecute small, low-flying targets in a crowded, fast-moving battlespace.
The F-35’s sensor fusion, combining radar and electro-optical systems into a single tactical picture, is well suited to countering drones that can be difficult for traditional air-defence radars to discriminate, particularly at low altitude.
“RAF F-35B jets shot down drones over Jordan – the first time an RAF F-35 has destroyed a target on operations,” the Mod stated, noting that the operation was supported by Typhoon aircraft and a Voyager tanker.
“A British counter-drone unit neutralised drones in Iraqi airspace heading towards Coalition forces, whilst an RAF Typhoon operating with the joint UK-Qatar 12 Squadron shot down an Iranian one-way attack drone directed at Qatar using an air-to-air missile on Monday,” added the MoD.
UK bolsters Cyprus air defence with HMS Dragon and Martlet-armed Wildcats
The shootdown was announced alongside a rapid reinforcement of the UK’s defensive posture around Cyprus after a suspected Iranian-made drone struck RAF Akrotiri.
The UK is deploying HMS Dragon, a Type 45 air-defence destroyer, to the Eastern Mediterranean, along with Wildcat helicopters equipped with Martlet missiles for counter-drone defence.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the UK was “moving quickly” to reinforce its defensive presence, adding that HMS Dragon brings “world-class air defence capability” and that Wildcats “are armed with Martlet missiles to counter the growing drone threat”.
