A Royal Air Force remotely piloted aircraft conducted an airstrike near Aleppo on 4 September 2025, the Ministry of Defence confirmed.
The operation formed part of Operation Shader, the UK’s ongoing contribution to the global coalition against Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
According to the MoD, the drone’s crew identified a known Daesh terrorist entering a vehicle during a reconnaissance patrol.
After tracking the target and confirming that no civilians were at risk, the aircraft carried out a precision strike that destroyed the vehicle and killed the individual.
Operation Shader is the UK’s contribution to the international campaign against the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The operation involves surveillance and air missions to support partner nations in maintaining regional security and preventing the group’s resurgence.
The strike was carried out by an RAF Reaper drone, which formally retired from service later in September 2025 after 18 years of operations.
First entering UK service in 2007, Reaper aircraft flew more than 173,000 hours in missions across Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. The platform is now being replaced by the MQ-9B Protector RG Mk1, which offers longer endurance, improved sensors and weapons, and the ability to operate within civilian airspace.
And the geniuses at Main Building have binned off Puma2 with no immediate replacement have now binned off Reaper – a very capable asset.
I’m sure Brazil will snap them up. We can flatten ‘000s of prime farmland to satisfy Net Zero but nowhere to park useful kit under Tarpulins like Challenger 2, Hercules or anything else that might come in handy in the next War. What is wrong with the MOD?
Yes, it’s a mystery to me why Ed Milliband was not identified as a fanatic by the ‘prevent’ program. 🙂
Certainly some like of a tin eared Fanatic; he should be if not actually now.
Apparently more Protector than I thought have been delivered.
I wonder if they’re cleared on Hellfire yet though, or Brimstone? Or the SIGINT fit some of our Reaper carried.
Additionaly, yes, keep Protector for Europe where it can fly and keep Reaper where they’ve always been.
Very useful asset, though perhaps on its way out in the Middle East. The terrorists of Daesh can do little about them, but the Houthis have shown that Reapers are perfectly within their reach.
The fleet is set to grow with the Protector, is it not? Nice change of pace, for once.
Yes, from 10 Reapers to 16 Protector.
Hopefully it will make room for some in a maritime role, plus a top-up purchase.
That needs to be balanced by the loss of 39PRU Canberra PR9, 5 Sqn Sentinel, and 12 and 13 Sqns which had GR4A Recc variants with the Raptor pod. Or was it 13 and 14 Sqns, I start to forget. Both were at RAF Marham.
Reaper more persistent, but surely a fast jet more useful for other uses too.
Don’t those losses predate Reaper? So in terms of replacing Reaper with Protector we can just be happy we bought more of something for once, maybe.
They do, apologies. My point was overall Recc assets.
Again balanced by the much smaller Drones for ISTAR, as before we had Phoenix.
Don’t Typhoon have a recce pod?