A Royal Air Drive remotely piloted plane performed an airstrike close to Aleppo on 4 September 2025, the Ministry of Defence confirmed.
The operation shaped a part of Operation Shader, the UK’s ongoing contribution to the worldwide coalition in opposition to Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
In response to the MoD, the drone’s crew recognized a identified Daesh terrorist getting into a car throughout a reconnaissance patrol.
After monitoring the goal and confirming that no civilians had been in danger, the plane carried out a precision strike that destroyed the car and killed the person.
Operation Shader is the UK’s contribution to the worldwide marketing campaign in opposition to the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The operation entails surveillance and air missions to help associate nations in sustaining regional safety and stopping the group’s resurgence.
The strike was carried out by an RAF Reaper drone, which formally retired from service later in September 2025 after 18 years of operations.
First getting into UK service in 2007, Reaper plane flew greater than 173,000 hours in missions throughout Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. The platform is now being changed by the MQ-9B Protector RG Mk1, which affords longer endurance, improved sensors and weapons, and the power to function inside civilian airspace.