French Rafale fighter jets are said to have shot down around 60 Iranian drones over the United Arab Emirates.
France had already confirmed its Rafale jets were intercepting Iranian drones. On March 4, 2026, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that French jets had neutralized drones targeting the UAE during a defensive mission.
La Tribune says the pace of operations has depleted French stocks of MICA air-to-air missiles faster than expected. The report also highlights a familiar air defense problem, the cost-exchange ratio, with MICA missiles costing around €600,000 to €700,000 per unit, compared with $30,000 to $50,000 for a Shahed drone.
The wider threat environment helps explain the pace. On March 14, 2026, UAE air defenses said they had intercepted nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones launched from Iran. The UAE also said that, since the start of the attacks, it had intercepted 294 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and 1,600 drones.
Cheaper air-launched options under study
La Tribune reports that the DGA is testing lower-cost options such as rockets, anti-drone drones, cannon fire, and machine guns in an effort to develop more proportionate responses to threats such as Shahed loitering munitions.
The French Ministry of Armed Forces has identified 68 mm laser-guided rockets, such as the Aculeus-LG used on the Tiger attack helicopter, as a potentially relevant lower-cost counter-drone effecter, though noting that their effectiveness against moving targets remains to be demonstrated.
Attack‑drones vormen in recente conflicten een grote en goedkope dreiging. Onze @BeAirForce test daarom lasergeleide 70mm‑raketten, waaronder de Belgische FZ275 LGR van Thales, om attack‑drones efficiënt uit te schakelen.@BelgiumDefence bereidt zich voor op de toekomst. pic.twitter.com/Ntt8IQcKep
— Material Resources (@DGMR_News) March 11, 2026
France is not alone in looking for cheaper intercept solutions. Belgium is testing Thales Belgium’s FZ275 LGR, a semi-active laser-guided 70 mm rocket, on F-16s for counter-drone missions. In early March 2026, a Royal Air Force Typhoon was also photographed at BAE Systems’ Warton site carrying LAU-131 rocket pods capable of firing APKWS guided rockets.
