the F-15E driver who scored the drone kill on Jun. 8, reveals some interesting details about the air engagement

F-15E DRIVER WHO SHOT DOWN PRO-SYRIA REGIME UAV ON JUN. 8 REVEALS SOME INTERESTING DETAILS ABOUT THE DRONE KILL

By Dario Leone
Aug 29 2017
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The drone was small enough that the missile Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Renken would fire from his F-15E could potentially go long and inadvertently head toward two nearby Russian Flanker fighter jets

As we have previously reported, on Jun.8, 2017, a U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-15E Strike Eagle fighter bomber shot down a “pro-Syria regime” drone after the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacked U.S.-backed fighters in southern Syria.

Now, Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Renken, the F-15E driver who scored the kill, revealed to Reuters some interesting details about the air engagement.

So, on Jun. 8 Renken was flying his Strike Eagle in “a race track” pattern around the Iranian-made drone, which had just tried to kill U.S.-backed forces and their advisers on the ground.

After the drone’s first shot failed to detonate on impact, it was positioning to strike again.

“When we saw the drone turn back towards friendly forces, we weren’t waiting around for anybody’s permission. We destroyed it,” he said.

Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Renken
Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Renken (C), the U.S. Air Force pilot who shot down an Iranian-made drone over Syria on June 8, 2017, speaks with U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein next to an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet at a U.S. military installation in the Middle East. U.S. Air Force/Handout via REUTERS

Noteworthy Renken’s downing of the Iranian drone, a Shahed 129, was the first in a series of several defensive U.S. air-to-air shootdowns over several weeks in June that at first appeared to signal a tipping point to a far more dangerous air war in Syria.

But since the decisions by Renken and other U.S. pilots to fire at two drones and a manned Syrian fighter jet in June, there haven’t been similarly provocative actions by pro-Syrian forces. U.S. officials say they seem to have delivered the message.

However, since two Russian fighter jets watched the engament from a distance, Renken knew that whatever happened next could escalate the war in Syria.

Syrian air war is in fact unique: armed aircraft from Syria, Russia, the U.S. and its coalition allies are all flying within a “no escape” range of each other’s weapons.

“We can all engage each other. So it takes a lot of discipline and studying the nuance of a circumstance to (determine): ’Was that an escalation?’,” Renken said.

The U.S. military initially said the drone dropped a bomb that missed the convoy, which included U.S.-backed fighters and their advisors.

F-15E print
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. F-15E Strike Eagle 366th Fighter Wing, 391st Fighter Squadron, MO/90-0249 – Mountain Home AFB, ID – 2008

Instead according to Reuters, Renken offered a slightly different account.

He said the drone was actually carrying missiles. When the UAV fired, it hit the door of one of the vehicles with a munition that failed to detonate, he said.

“It was a dud round. So, very lucky,” Renken pointed out. “It was definitely intended to be a lethal shot.” The criteria needed to fire the drone had been clearly met, he said.

Nevertheless there was still one factor complicating his decision to return fire: the presence of the Russian “Flanker” fighter jets, who might think that Renken was shooting at them.

“Is (the Russian pilot) going to see a missile come off of my aircraft and consider that a potential aggression against him?” he explained.

Shahed 129 Iranian-built drone
Shahed 129 Iranian-built drone

Furthermore the drone was small enough that the missile Renken would fire could potentially go long and inadvertently head toward the Russian jets.

“(There) was a lot of potential for escalation,” he said.

For Renken the war in Syria has evolved far beyond simply striking Islamic State targets on the ground.

“What this recent event has proven is that you can’t take for granted that you know what the fight is going to look like,” Renken said.

F-15E driver drone killer

“You need to walk in ready for it to metastasize into any hybrid variation.”

Photo credit: Teddy Techer, U.S. Air Force/Handout via REUTERS, screenshot from YouTube and U.S. Air Force

Artwork courtesy of AircraftProfilePrints.com


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Dario Leone

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

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