French Rafale Downed Drone Over Latvia
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- French Air and Space Force scrambled Rafale jets from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania and shot down a drone over uninhabited territory in Latvia on June 8, 2026.
- Latvian Armed Forces issued a yellow alert at 9:20 a.m. for Ludza, Balvi, and Aluksne districts, upgraded to orange at 9:40 a.m., and confirmed the drone entered from Russia before it was downed at 10:05 a.m. over Berzgale parish.
- NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, which rotates allied fighters to protect Baltic airspace, deployed the French Rafales as part of its quick‑reaction alert.
- MICA missiles on the Rafale have a maximum range of roughly 37 miles and can use active radar or infrared seekers, enabling the engagement of the intruding drone.
- Social media videos captured the Rafale launching a missile and the subsequent explosion, marking the first recorded video of a Baltic drone shootdown.
- Latvian residents in the affected districts were advised to seek shelter indoors, close windows and doors, and follow the two‑wall principle.
- Romanian F‑16 shot down a Ukrainian drone over Estonia on May 19, and later Polish fighters downed Russian drones in September, showing a pattern of NATO intercepts in the Baltic.
Why it matters: Latvia and NATO gain a tangible demonstration of air‑defence capability, while Russia faces a concrete rebuff of its drone incursions, reinforcing the alliance’s resolve to protect the eastern flank and signaling that cross‑border drone threats will be actively countered in the region.
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