US F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet destroys Turkish drone for the first time in history

By: Maksim Panasovskiy | 05.10.2023, 20:38

The United States in the skies over Syria shot down an armed drone. This is reported by the news agency Reuters.

Here's What We Know

It was initially reported that the Turkish ANKA-S drone was destroyed by a fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. Later it turned out that the strike was carried out by a fourth-generation F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft.

In any case, this is the first time in history that the US has shot down an aircraft of Turkey, which is a NATO ally. Two US officials said on condition of anonymity that the drone was destroyed by an F-16 fighter jet. Turkey, meanwhile, says the UAV did not belong to the Turkish armed forces.

The drone was flying near US military bases in Syria. According to officials, the military tried to contact the Turkish side several times before striking the UAV.

Source: Reuters