Romanian F-16 fighter jet shoots down drone over its airspace

A Romanian F-16 fighter jet shot down a drone over the country's airspace on Friday after it was detected flying inland from the Black Sea, according to Romania's Ministry of Defence.

The ministry said the aircraft, assigned to the 86th Air Base at Fetesti, fired an air-to-air missile while carrying out an air policing mission and the drone was intercepted over an unpopulated area near Padina, north-east of Bucharest.

Romanian President Nicușor Dan said the incident happened at about 11:00 AM and confirmed an investigation had been launched.

In a post on X, Dan said: "The area was uninhabited, so the pilot was able to fire without any risk."

According to the defence ministry, radar first detected the unmanned aircraft at about 9:40 AM over the Black Sea before it headed west towards Sulina and then in the direction of Buzău.

The ministry said two Romanian Air Force F-16s and two Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons, operating from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, were scrambled to monitor the situation.

The incident follows several recent drone incursions into Romania. In May, a drone carrying explosives crashed in Galați, injuring two people.

In June, a Ukrainian sea drone exploded in the Romanian port of Constanța after reportedly veering off course.