The engagement took place on Tuesday when drone activity was confirmed above the US At Tanf military base, with RAF Typhoons tasked with investigating during a patrol. The drone was downed with an Advanced Short Range Air to Air Missile, despite its small size.
"A Royal Air Force Typhoon has shot down a small hostile drone in Syria which posed a threat to Coalition forces in the area. This unprecedented event was the first operational air-to-air engagement conducted by an RAF Typhoon, and also the first RAF air-to-air missile firing during Operation SHADER – the UK’s contribution to the Global Coalition against Daesh [IS]," the ministry said in a statement.
The armed conflict in Syria has been going on since 2011. In late 2017, IS was declared defeated in Syria and Iraq, but counterterrorism operations continue.