The French Ministry of Defence confirms that a French Navy Frigate shot down two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that were launched against her while she was on patrol in the Red Sea off Yemen last Saturday 9th December. The successful interception happened around 2130 hrs local time while the Frégate Européenne Multi-Mission (FREMM) frigate FS LANGUEDOC D 653 was underway some 110 kilometres off the coast of Hodeida, Yemen.
The frigate shot down both drones, which French military officials claim were identified as hostile and were fired from somewhere within Yemen.
The incident is the latest in a series of successful UAV interceptions by NATO warships to protect commercial shipping passing through the Red Sea. Earlier this month, the US Navy Arleigh Burke Class guided-missile destroyers USS CARNEY DDG 64 and USS MASON DDG 87 shot down a total of four drones, all of which were fired from areas in Yemen under the control of the Iran-backed Houthi militia.
All photos of FS LANGUEDOC D 653 are at Catania Port back to March, 2018.
