Romanian scrambled a F16 fighter jet to engage with a drone that violated its territory, the president said. Nobody was harmed.
The drone was shot down near the village of Padina in an uninhabited area, President Nicusor Dan said on Friday. It was the first time Romania has shot down a drone since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
The drone was detected at 09.39, some 20 kilometers east of the Danube port of Sulina.
The defense ministry said it entered Romanian airspace, on the Sulina-Brăila-Fetești-Buzau route, and was shot down at 11:02 a.m in Padina, some 140 kilometers northeast of Bucharest, the ministry said.
“There was a drone in our airspace, it was shot down a few minutes ago, around 11:00, by a Romanian pilot in a F16. It is important to emphasize that the area was unpopulate, “ Dan said,
He said authorities were investigating the incident which comes almost two months after a Russian drone fell on an apartment block in the eastern city Galati.
Prefect of Buzau County, Leonard Dimian, said that the drone was shot down in a field. “It fell in an agricultural area, in the field somewhere, in an uninhabited area, between Padina and Pogoanele,” he told Agerpres news agency.
The incident follows a series of drone incursions into Romania.
In May, a Russian drone carrying explosives crashed in a residential area in the city of Galati, causing a fire on the roof of a residential apartment block and injuring two people.
The following month, a Ukrainian sea drone exploded in the Romanian port Constanta.
“The efforts of the last period are bearing fruit,” acting Defense Minister Radu Miruţă, said reacting to the development.
“Today’s threats aren’t like the ones ten years ago, and it is our responsibility to be prepared… Every new radar system, every modern aircraft, every anti-drone equipment and every well-trained military means more security for Romania,” he said.
“The decisions we take today in the field of defense are not expenses. They are direct investments in the security of each citizen and in the ability of the Romanian state to defend its sovereignty,” he went on.
“Romania is defending its airspace (and) respects its commitments within NATO. And Romania will continue to invest in those capabilities that transform security from a promise into a reality,” he said.
Crewman dies from injuries after drone hit tanker in Black Sea near Romania
