Romania shoots down unidentified drone breaching its airspace
A Romanian F-16 destroyed the drone after radar tracked it over the Black Sea, and investigators are still determining its origin.
- On Friday, July 24, 2026, a Romanian Air Force F-16 fighter jet shot down an unidentified drone over an uninhabited area near Padina, Buzău County, marking Romania's first active destruction of an intruding aircraft within its national airspace.
- Romanian lawmakers approved legislation in February 2025 authorizing the military to intercept and destroy drones breaching national airspace, following a May 2026 incident where a drone crashed into an apartment block in Galați, injuring two people.
- A second unidentified drone was intercepted on Saturday, July 25, 2026, approximately 10 kilometers west of Sfantu Gheorghe, with Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons supporting Romanian F-16s during the joint NATO air-policing operation.
- NATO's Allied Air Command confirmed the joint operation, emphasizing rapid allied response; no injuries or property damage occurred as both drones fell over unpopulated ground.
- Investigations into the drones' origins remain ongoing, though authorities noted they visually resembled Russian-designed Shahed-type aircraft, underscoring sustained pressure on Romania's eastern flank from Russia's war against Ukraine.
122 Articles
122 Articles
Two Russian drones were shot down in Romania within 24 hours. The first was destroyed on Friday near the city of Buzău, the second on Saturday morning, Romanian President Nicușor Dan reported. It was shot down ten kilometers from the city of Sfântu Gheorghe.
The first drone, which according to the authorities in charge of the investigations has fragments of Russian origin, was shot down the day before on the airspace of the country, which is part of NATO
LancasterOnline
Independent EspañolKIEV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian drone attack claimed the lives of three people in the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine, local authorities said on Saturday, while Romania shot down, for the second time in two days,...
This is the second time in just two days that this has happened.
Romania announced that it had shot down, for the second time in two days, a drone entering its air space. The aircraft was destroyed by a F-16 fighter aircraft over an uninhabited area near the border with Ukraine, according to the Romanian Ministry of Defence.
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