French Rafale shot down drone over Latvia in Baltic first

A French Rafale destroyed a drone over Latvia during an operational mission in what was the first use of the MICA missile by the French Air and Space Force in the Baltic region, according to Allied Air Command.

The engagement was disclosed as France concluded its NATO Baltic Air Policing deployment at Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania, after two consecutive rotations. Across the four-month deployment, French aircraft flew more than 540 hours, responded to almost 40 Alpha scrambles against unidentified aircraft, and conducted nearly 70 training scrambles.

A French detachment spokesperson, whose name was withheld at the discretion of France, said: “This mission has been a milestone for the BAP Block 71 detachment. Operationally, the MICA missile is deployed by the French Air and Space Force all over the world but using it here for the first time in the Baltic states, to destroy a drone over Latvia, was a real tactical success for NATO, France and the Baltic states.”

The spokesperson added: “We come out of this mission stronger, alongside our Allied partners. Given the current threat around the world, we were able to work with our Allies to adapt our training accordingly, especially in counter-UAS.”

The detachment maintained continuous Quick Reaction Alert throughout, operating under the enhanced vigilance activity Eastern Sentry.

Training during the deployment covered a broad multinational programme, including work with Romanian F-16s and Polish MiG-29s, and Agile Combat Employment activities in Sweden. French aircrews conducted joint ground attack and live air-to-ground gunnery training with Belgian, German and Lithuanian forces, while Rafale C crews flew joint counter-drone missions with Estonian and Lithuanian partners to detect and engage training drones. Further activity covered close air support, beyond visual range air combat, familiarisation flights and multinational training scrambles with Lithuanian, Estonian, Latvian, Romanian, Polish, German and Canadian forces.

The MICA is a French-built short to medium range air-to-air missile produced by MBDA, available in infrared and active radar guided variants and carried across the Rafale and Mirage 2000 fleets. Its use against a drone reflects a wider problem facing European air forces, where high-value missiles designed for air combat are being expended against far cheaper uncrewed targets, an exchange rate that has driven interest in gun packs, laser weapons and cheaper effectors.

The French detachment hands over to the Italian Air Force, which will operate from Šiauliai with four Eurofighter Typhoons and more than 100 personnel. That handover forms part of a wider rotation marking a shift from Air Policing to a broader air defence role within NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence framework, extending coverage from manned and unmanned aircraft to cruise and ballistic missiles.