The UK has performed its first aerial engagements with the Lockheed Martin F-35B, with aircraft from the Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) 617 Sqn having successfully engaged one-way attack drones launched from Iran.

Announcing the milestone on 3 March, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said F-35Bs operating from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus had downed an undisclosed number of drones while operating inside Jordanian airspace. This action marked “the first time an RAF F-35 has destroyed a target [aircraft] on operations”, it adds.

The UK early last month deployed several of its short take-off and vertical landing F-35Bs to Cyprus from their home base at RAF Marham in Norfolk. The stealthy type is being flown from Akrotiri alongside Eurofighter Typhoons in support of London’s long-running Operation Shader activity in the Middle East region.

An Iranian drone struck RAF Akrotiri on 1 March, with no casualties resulting from the attack.

Meanwhile, the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon is to be deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean to bolster defences with what the MoD describes its “world-class air defence capability”.

The vessel will deploy with two embarked Leonardo Helicopters Wildcats, armed with Thales Martlet missiles.

“The helicopters will be able to hunt and shoot down aerial threats, adding a powerful counter-drone capability to the region,” the MoD says.

Elsewhere, one of the UK’s Typhoons operating as part of the joint RAF/Qatar Emiri Air Force 12 Sqn also successfully engaged an Iranian one-way attack drone on 2 March. The MoD says the jet destroyed the threat using an air-to-air missile.