Dutch Air Force fighter jet shoots down Russian Shahed drone
Illustrative photo: F-35 fighter jet (Getty Images)
A Dutch Air Force F-35 fighter jet has shot down a Russian Shahed drone, as evidenced by a marking left on the aircraft’s fuselage, according to Defensie.nl.
As evidence, the outlet published a photo of the aircraft featuring a marking of a Russian attack drone on its fuselage.
The downing likely occurred in Polish airspace on September 10.
Photo: marking of the downed Shahed drone on the F-35 fuselage (defensie.nl)
Dutch Air Force mission in Poland
The F-35 fighter jets have been stationed in Poland from September 1 to December 1 to help safeguard NATO airspace.
Dutch pilots have already conducted several combat sorties and, on at least one occasion, engaged Russian drones directly.
According to Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans, "Russia’s reckless aggression is escalating."
"By deploying F-35s in Poland, the Netherlands demonstrates that, together with our allies, we remain fully prepared, the eastern border of NATO is also our security border," the minister said during a visit to the Dutch F-35 detachment.
Brekelmans stressed that the Netherlands stands firmly ready to defend the eastern flank alongside its allies.
Russian drone attack on Poland
On September 10, about 20 Russian attack drones entered Polish airspace from Russia and Belarus.
The Polish Air Force, supported by NATO allies, scrambled jets and shot down four of the drones.
Some of the UAVs reportedly targeted the logistics hub in Rzeszów, a key route for military aid deliveries to Ukraine.
Following the attack, Polish forces recovered debris from 16 Russian drones, as well as remains of an unidentified missile and seven Russian drones, allegedly Geran-type.
According to media reports, the Russian Shaheds were intercepted by F-35 pilots using missiles worth around €400,000 each.
Reports also indicated that the drones likely lacked warheads at the time of the interception.
