On the night of April 25, 2026, a Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 became the first NATO aircraft to shoot down a Russian strike drone over Ukrainian territory. The incident has been officially confirmed.

The jet was part of the British contingent of NATO’s air policing mission based at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base and was scrambled on alert. The pilot detected the drone at a distance of approximately 1.5–2 km from the Romania-Ukraine border.

After confirming the target visually and by radar, the fighter launched an air-to-air missile and destroyed the UAV, preventing it from approaching NATO airspace.

The UK Ministry of Defence and NATO command confirmed the combat use, stating that this is the first documented case of a NATO aircraft shooting down a Russian drone over Ukraine as part of eastern flank defense.

The Royal Air Force noted that the pilot’s actions were timely and professional, emphasizing readiness to prevent threats to partner territories.

Previously, NATO fighters, including British, German, and Romanian Typhoon and F-16 jets, had repeatedly been scrambled to intercept and escort drones entering Romanian airspace. However, a direct shootdown over Ukraine had not occurred before.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence positively assessed the actions, stating that such measures strengthen border protection and demonstrate NATO’s commitment to collective security.