He fired a gun at two unmanned aerial vehicles the frigate Hydra to Gulf of Aden in the early hours of Thursday, according to the applicable Rules of Engagement. She is the second engagement of the HYDRA frigate as part of the “Aspides” operation.

How did the incident happen?

In particular, the incident occurred at 5:15 in the morning on Thursday. Her radar detected 8 UAVs, two of which were heading towards the ship of European interests escorted by the frigate Hydra. She then engaged with her 127mm gun, shooting down one UAV and forcing the second to change course. Two hours later he was handing over the ship to the Italian destroyer in order to enter the area of ​​the straits.

For the incident sources from the GEETHA they report: “On Thursday 25 April 2024 and morning hours in the Gulf of Aden, the Frigate HYDRA as part of the EUNAVFORASPIDES operation, providing protection to a merchant ship, fired a gun at two Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), in accordance with the current Rules of Engagement, a of which it was shot down and the other removed. The frigate continues its mission normally.”

It is recalled that the frigate had its first engagement on March 13, as part of the same operation where it had also fired a gun against a drone in the same area.

An announcement about the incident was also issued by “Operation Shields” with a post on social media.

“The frigate Hydra, which was providing protection to a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden, encountered 2 UAVs that posed a direct threat to freedom of navigation. The 1st UAV was shot down, while the 2nd changed course. The action was effective and prevented any damage to sailors & commercial shipping,” the relevant announcement states.

As noted in the announcements, the frigate continues its mission in the Gulf of Aden as usual and will receive the next ship in a short time.