A beer at sunrise then back on duty – the British pilot who made RAF history shooting down Iranian drones
The Guardian World
by Jessica Elgot at RAF AkrotiriMarch 5, 2026
F-35 pilot based in Cyprus becomes first to destroy a target in combat – and celebrates with a single beer
In the clear skies above Jordan on Monday night, a British F-35 pilot made a small piece of history. Flying for four hours alongside two Typhoons, the radar picked up two Shahed drones. The squadron tactics instructor – whom the Guardian is not naming – hit the drones with two Asraam missiles.
In doing so he became the first pilot of the Royal Air Force’s stealth fighter jet to destroy a target in combat. It was, he said, very high stakes. In those scenarios, it is easy to hit a friendly target by mistake.
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Originally published on The Guardian World on 3/5/2026