Romanian F-16 shoots down drone over national airspace

A Romanian Air Force F-16 fighter jet shot down a drone that entered the country's airspace on Friday, July 24, marking the first time the NATO member has successfully engaged an unmanned aerial vehicle since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. President Nicusor Dan confirmed the action, stating the drone was intercepted at approximately 11:00 a.m. local time.

The drone was downed near the village of Padina in Buzau County, an uninhabited area roughly 70 miles northeast of Bucharest. President Dan emphasized that the location allowed the pilot to engage without risk to civilians. Fragments of the drone landed in a wheat field, causing no damage or injuries, according to local officials.

The Romanian Ministry of Defense provided a detailed timeline, stating surveillance radars first detected the aerial target over the Black Sea at 9:39 a.m. The object moved west toward the port of Sulina and the city of Buzau. In response, two Romanian F-16s and two Italian Eurofighter Typhoon jets, operating from Romanian bases as part of a NATO mission, were scrambled to monitor the situation. A Romanian pilot from the 86th Air Base at Fetesti ultimately engaged and destroyed the drone...