Iran conflict 2026: RAF Typhoon operating out of Qatar shoots down Iranian drone

A file photo of an RAF Eurofighter Typhoon launching an ASRAAM missile. The MoD said that a Typhoon from 12 Squadron shot down a UAV as it approached Qatar on 1 March. (Eurofighter)

A UK Royal Air Force (RAF) Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 combat aircraft operating out of Qatar successfully intercepted and destroyed an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 1 March.

The Typhoon, one of four jets from the joint Qatar-UK 12 Squadron that had been deployed to the Gulf state to provide an emergency air-defence capability, shot down the Iranian UAV as it approached Qatari territory, the MoD said. The MoD did not disclose if the pilot was from the RAF or the Qatar Emiri Air Force.

This engagement marked the sixth time since late 2021 that RAF Typhoons have scored air-to-air kills against UAVs in the Middle East. With the first confirmed event being a ‘small hostile drone' over Syria in December 2021, an official speaking under the Chatham House Rule at the IQPC International Fighter Conference (IFC) 2025 said that four more had been shot down since April 2024.

“[During the RAF's] recent contribution to security in the Middle East, [in] the last 18 months, Typhoons had four successful air-to-air engagements against difficult air targets,” he said.

No further details of the engagements were given, but given the location and the timeline, they likely concern the downing of one-way attack (OWA) UAVs that were launched against Israel on the night of 13–14 April 2024.

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IFC 2025: RAF Typhoons scored multiple air-to-air kills over Middle East in recent months, says official