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Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force F-35A with the Russian drone kill mark (circled in red).

A Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force F-35A Lightning II fifth generation stealth fighter created history by becoming the first NATO combat aircraft to shoot down at least one and possibly multiple Russian pilotless armed aircraft. The F-35A which destroyed the Russian drones has a kill mark on its fuselage to highlight its achievement.The Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force and the country’s Ministry of Defense released photos showing a F-35A with a drone kill mark on the fuselage. The triangular delta-wing design of the mark, painted in white color just below the cockpit of the stealth jet, is a copy of the Russian Geran-2, cloned from Iran’s HESA Shahed 136.No other F-35 of the Royal Netherlands Air Force and Space Force sports the kill mark, confirming that only one combat aircraft was involved in the shoot down. The F-35 with the confirmed Russian drone kill has tail number F-027. A press release by the Netherlands Ministry of Defense on September 30, 2025, with the photo of the F-35A that killed the Russian drone states: “The F-35 fighter jets in Poland will be in the country from September 1st to December 1st to contribute to the protection of the NATO treaty area. Dutch pilots have already seen action several times, including once using weapons to shoot down Russian drones. Starting in December, the Netherlands will also station Patriot systems, Nasams, and anti-drone systems in Poland to further strengthen air defenses and protect a key logistics hub for support to Ukraine.” (Translated from Dutch to English using Google Translator)Live EventsA Business Insider report quoted the Netherlands Ministry of Defense confirming marking was added “after taking out multiple drones in Polish Airspace in September.” However, the ministry did not disclose the number of drones shot down by the F-35.A swarm of Russian drones, many of which were the Geran-2 drones, breached Poland’s airspace on September 9-10, 2025. Polish Air Force Polish F-16 fighters and NATO air patrol teams scrambled F-35s to intercept the Russian drone swarm.During the intercept, one Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force F-35A locked onto a Russian Geran-2 drone over the skies of Lublin province and shot it down. The debris of the drone fell on the ground and was later confirmed to be of Russian origin. The shoot down is the first ever confirmed combat kill by a Dutch F-35A. It is also the first time a NATO combat aircraft has actively engaged a Russian aerial threat.The Dutch F-35A had taken off from Poland’s Łask Air Base under NATO’s Air Policing mission.Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
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