Iraq’s air defences shoot down drone at Baghdad airport

Unmanned aircraft intercepted near Martyr Mohammad Alaa Air Base

The wrecked remains of one of two armed drones shot down over Ain Al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq in January. Another unmanned aircraft was downed at Baghdad airport on Tuesday. AFP

Iraq’s air defences shot down a drone that attempted to approach an airbase within Baghdad International Airport at dawn on Tuesday, the military said.

The drone was monitored and downed near the Martyr Mohammad Alaa Air Base, a site located within the sprawling airport complex, the Iraqi military said in a statement.

It said the drone had not obtained an official permit to fly within the area and no damage or casualties were reported. Images posted on social media by the military showed a shattered unmanned aircraft, with parts of a propeller and engine visible.

Iraqi and coalition military bases within Baghdad International Airport have frequently come under attack by Iran-backed militias using unguided rockets and occasionally drones, which have also been used to attack US military and diplomatic sites in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

In some instances, perpetrators have been captured by Iraqi security forces but later released after pressure from Iran-linked groups.

Drones have proven difficult to target because of their small size and ability to fly very close to the ground, which makes them harder for radar to detect.

Iran-backed militias fill the drones with explosives, which has forced the US to deploy defensive countermeasures including high-powered microwave beams to disable electronics, rapid-fire cannon that can send 4,000 rounds of ammunition towards the drones, which are tracked by specialised radar systems, and even laser beams.

Iraqi security forces have said they have shot down drones in the past, and have also used drone signal-jamming equipment to stop the threat.