French Frigate Languedoc Intercepts Yet Another Drone from Yemen

This is the third drone from Yemen that the French frigate intercepts since Sunday. The official statement reads:

On the evening of Monday, December 11, the oil tanker Strinda (Norwegian flag) was the victim of a complex air attack from Yemen causing a fire on board.

The FREMM Languedoc which was patrolling the area intercepted and destroyed a drone directly threatening the Strinda. The FREMM then placed itself in protection of the affected vessel, preventing the attempt to hijack the ship.

The fire on board the Strinda was brought under control. No injuries were reported. The USS Mason then escorted the Strinda to the Gulf of Aden out of the threat zone. FREMM Languedoc has resumed its patrol towards the North.

FREMM Languedoc has been involved in the Gulf of Aden and the southern Red Sea since December 8 in order to contribute to maritime security and the freedom of navigation of ships (around 20,000 commercial ships pass through this area each year ).

For the record, on December 9, the Languedoc Multi-Mission Frigate (FREMM) of the French Navy shot down two drones that were heading straight towards it, coming from the coast of Yemen.

French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sebastien Lecornu, yesterday confirmed that Languedoc used Aster 15 surface to air missiles to shoot down two drones off Yemen.

This interception by Languedoc is the latest in several incidents in the area. USNI News reported last week that guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG-87) shot down a drone in the Red Sea on Wednesday, just days after USS Carney (DDG-64) downed three drones launched from Yemen.