French Rafale jet shoots down drone over Latvia in first NATO interception over the country

Two French Rafale jets scrambled from Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania shot down a foreign drone over the eastern Latvian region of Latgale on the morning of June 8, the first time NATO aircraft have destroyed a drone over Latvian territory. The drone was downed near the village of Berzgale, about 30 km (18 miles) from the Russian border. Latvian Defence Minister Raivis Melnis said no one was hurt and no property was damaged, and that the final decision to open fire was taken by NATO command.

Latvia's National Armed Forces described the target as "a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle that had flown into Latvia as a result of Russian electromagnetic warfare," and a military spokesperson told Reuters the drone had entered Latvian airspace from Russia. The military did not say who launched it. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze wrote on X, "Thank you, our French Allies, for taking down the drone that flew into Latvian airspace!" Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs praised "swift decision-making and professional action," and a NATO official said the intercept "shows once again NATO's determination and ability to deter and defend." The French Air and Space Force called the engagement a "demonstration of the French Armed Forces' commitment to contributing to the security of Europe's eastern flank."

The interception played out over about an hour. Latvia's armed forces issued a yellow alert for the Ludza, Balvi and Aluksne districts at around 9:20 a.m. local time, raised it to orange for the Ludza and Rezekne districts at 9:40 once a drone was confirmed in Latvian airspace, and reported the drone destroyed over Berzgale parish shortly after 10 a.m. (0705 GMT). Residents had been told to "seek shelter indoors, close windows and doors -- follow the two-wall principle." The Rafales, part of a four-aircraft French detachment, were armed with MICA air-to-air missiles, which have a range of around 37 miles.

It was the second NATO drone interception in Baltic airspace in three weeks. On May 19, a Romanian F-16 shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over Estonia, the first such engagement in that country's history. NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission has guarded the skies of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania since the three joined the alliance in 2004; the current rotation comprises four French Rafales and six Romanian F-16s at Siauliai in Lithuania and four Portuguese F-16s at Amari in Estonia. French defence-staff spokesman Colonel Guillaume Vernet said that between May 28 and June 4 the French detachment had intercepted multiple Russian military aircraft flying without flight plans or radio contact, including four armed Su-30s, an Il-76, a Su-35, a Su-24 and a Su-34. The shootdown came days after NATO jets intercepted six Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea on June 5.

The same day, an unidentified drone crossed into Moldova overnight and exploded on farmland near the village of Lopatna; authorities said the fragments were most likely of Ukrainian origin but that Russia bore ultimate responsibility, and President Maia Sandu had a day earlier instructed the government to draft legislation enabling domestic production of interceptor drones. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the incidents in Latvia and Moldova "confirm that Russia's continued aggression against Ukraine poses a threat beyond Ukraine's borders." Ukraine says Russian jamming pushes its long-range strike drones off course into Baltic airspace, while Moscow says the Baltic states are allowing Ukraine to use their airspace for attacks.

Drone incursions have been politically destabilising for Latvia. A May 7 crash near the Rezekne oil-storage facility helped topple the previous government, with the defence minister and then the prime minister resigning before a new center-right cabinet under Andris Kulbergs formed in late May. NATO members are now accelerating counter-drone work: Estonia activated its first border drone-detection sensors on May 30, European leaders have agreed to build a "drone wall" along the eastern border, and the French defence ministry plans to field a lower-cost counter-drone option on the Rafale by summer, with trials under way of a pod carrying 68 mm laser-guided rockets. Latvia's armed forces commander, General Kaspars Pudans, warned last week that Russia could exploit its drone advantage to attack the Baltics by the end of 2028.