Romania Downs Shahed-Type Drone for First Time After Airspace Breach

A Romanian F-16 fighter jet shot down a suspected Shahed-type drone that penetrated the country’s airspace on Friday, July 24 – the first time Romania has destroyed an intruding drone since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The drone was destroyed with an air-to-air missile at 11:02 a.m. over an unpopulated area near Padina in Romania’s Buzău County. No casualties or property damage were reported.

Romania’s Ministry of National Defense reported that radar systems first detected the aerial target at 9:39 a.m., approximately 20 kilometers east of Sulina on the Black Sea. It subsequently entered Romanian airspace and followed a trajectory through Sulina, Brăila and Fetești toward Buzău.

Two Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons deployed at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base under NATO’s Air Policing mission were scrambled at 9:48 a.m. Two Romanian F-16s from the 86th Air Base at Fetești followed at 10:56 a.m.

Chief of Defence Gen. Gheorghiță Vlad later disclosed that the Italian aircraft had also fired at the drone but failed to destroy it. The Romanian F-16 subsequently engaged the target and brought it down near Padina.

Fragments fell into a wheat field without causing casualties or damage. Romanian President Nicușor Dan noted that the area was uninhabited, allowing the pilot to fire without putting civilians at risk.

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NATO: Alliance ready to respond ‘24/7’

NATO’s Allied Air Command confirmed the joint Romanian-Italian operation following the airspace violation, highlighting the rapid involvement of aircraft from two allied air forces.

“This multinational combined effort underlines how NATO is ready and able to react to any potential air threats, 24/7,” Allied Air Command stated, adding that the operation demonstrated the Alliance’s ability to safeguard NATO territory and protect its population.

NATO noted that an investigation into the drone incident was underway and pointed to continuing efforts by Romania and other allies to strengthen ground-based defenses against unmanned aircraft.

The Italian Eurofighters involved in Friday’s operation are stationed in Romania as part of NATO Air Policing, while Romania maintains its own F-16s on alert – making the interception a combined allied response even though the final shot was fired by a Romanian aircraft.

Suspected Shahed – origin still under investigation

Romanian authorities initially stopped short of identifying the drone’s origin.

Gen. Vlad told reporters that Romanian pilots visually assessed the aircraft as resembling a Shahed, the Iranian-designed family of attack drones extensively used by Russia against Ukraine.

“Visually, the pilots reported the drone looked to be a Shahed type,” Vlad stated, while cautioning that it was too early to reach conclusions about its origin or purpose.

An army source cited by Reuters similarly stressed that an investigation was underway to establish where the drone came from, while noting that Russia is the aggressor operating in the region.

Romania has repeatedly reported Russian drones entering or approaching its territory during Moscow’s attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure along the Danube and Black Sea since the full-scale invasion began.

The July 24 incident also occurred amid intensified Russian attacks against Ukraine’s Odesa region. Vlad noted that strikes in the area have increased ahead of the harvest season, placing additional pressure on Black Sea energy and trade routes.

Romania uses new authority to shoot down drones

Friday’s interception follows years of debate in Romania over how its armed forces should respond when drones from Russia’s war against Ukraine cross NATO airspace.

Romanian lawmakers approved legislation in February 2025 allowing the military to intercept and, when necessary, destroy drones that illegally enter national airspace based on the threat they pose to human life, property and national security. The legislation also provides a framework for allied forces stationed in Romania to participate under NATO and EU defense arrangements.

The Friday shootdown is the first time Romania has destroyed such an intruding drone after dozens of previous airspace violations.

The incident follows a more serious breach on May 29, when a Russian-made drone crashed into an apartment building in Galați near the Ukrainian border, injuring two people. Romanian F-16s were scrambled and authorized to engage drones during that incident, but the aircraft was not shot down because of the danger that an interception over a populated area could pose to civilians.

Friday presented a different scenario: the drone had reached an uninhabited area, the Romanian pilot had a safe opportunity to engage, and the F-16 destroyed the target while it was still airborne.

For Romania – a NATO member sharing a roughly 650-kilometer border with Ukraine – the interception marks a significant shift from tracking repeated spillovers of Russia’s war to actively destroying an unauthorized aerial target inside its national airspace.