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French Rafale Shoots Down Unknown Drone Over Latvia

FlyMarshall NewsroomBy No Comments5 Mins Read

A France Rafale of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission shot down an unknown drone which entered Latvian airspace from Russia.

A Rafale of the French Air and Space Force, currently deployed to Lithuania  as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, shot down an unknown drone which entered Latvian airspace in the morning of June 8, 2026. The incidents follows a similar one last month which saw Romanian F-16s shooting down a drone over Estonia.

The Latvian military said the drone entered sovereign airspace from Russian territory “as a result of ​Russian electromagnetic warfare.” At the time of writing, it is still unclear whether the drone was of Russian or Ukrainian origin.

While authorities alerted the population to take shelter, Rafales deployed to Šiauliai Air Base were scrambled to intercept and identify the drone. After the intercept, the NATO command ordered the engagement, said Latvian Minister of Defense Raivis ​Melnis, and the drone was shot down at 10:05 local time (07:05 GMT) near the village of Berzgale, about 30 km (18 miles) from the border.

A video allegedly shows the moment one of the Rafales opened fire, launching an air-to-air missile at the drone. No injuries or damage to property were reported.

Latvia publicly thanked NATO and France for countering this threat, with Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs praising “decisive and highly professional action” to ensure the country’s security.

A recent similar incident

Less than a month ago, on May 19, 2026, Estonian Defense Forces announced that Romanian F-16 Fighting Falcons shot down a drone which entered Estonian airspace. Similarly to the incident in Latvia, “conditions of heavy electronic warfare, including GPS spoofing and jamming, by Russia” were reported.

According to the statement, air surveillance units were monitoring the drone as it approached Estonian airspace. The drone was detected at 12.00PM local time, entering “Estonian airspace from Russian airspace in the South-Eastern corner of Estonia, heading towards North-East.”

F-16s shot down drone Estonia
File photo of two Romanian Air Force F-16s Baltic Sea. (Image Credit: NATO Allied Air Command)

The Romanian F-16s, currently deployed to Lithuania as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, intercepted the drone “South of Põltsamaa town.” Following visual identification, “the jets fired a single missile to neutralize the threat, downing the unmanned aerial system at 12.14PM local time.”

After Estonia said the drone was “likely of Ukrainian origin,” Ukraine issued a public apology for the incident, calling it “unintended” and saying the drone was redirected in the Baltic region by electronic warfare. The country also confirmed, as mentioned previously by the Baltic states, that neither Estonia, nor Latvia, Lithuania, of Finland have ever allowed to use their airspace for strikes against Russia, and that Ukraine has never requested such a use.

Baltic Air Policing

The Romanian Air Force deployed six F-16s to Šiauliai Air Base, Lithuania, together with 100 personnel. The aircraft replace the Spanish Air Force detachment which was previously in the Baltic region.

The F-16s are deployed alongside a detachment of four Rafales from the French Air and Space Force, which operate from the same base as part of the service’s ninth rotation there. Both detachments are integrated  within NATO’s Command and Control structures to maintain Quick Reaction Alert and safeguard Allied airspace.

Recently, NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) led counter-drone training over Lithuania and Latvia on May 27, 2026, as part of enhanced Vigilance Activity (eVA) Eastern Sentry. The exercise involved Romanian and Portuguese F-16 fighters, Lithuanian surface-based air and missile defense units (SBAMD), Spanish National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NSAMS) and a Romanian Patriot system in a counter-unmanned aerial system (c-UAS) scenario focused on Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD).

Last week, the BAP detachment conducted multiple intercepts of Russian aircraft, counting a total of 11 scrambles, said a French spokesperson. On June 2 alone, French fighters intercepted six different aircraft.


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