Romanian F-16 Downs 3rd Drone in 3 Days

A Romanian Air Force F-16 fighter jet intercepted and shot down an unidentified drone over the country’s territorial waters near the Sulina-Chilia area on Sunday morning, July 26, marking the third such incident in three days.

Romanian President Nicușor Dan confirmed the operation in a statement, commending the air and ground units for their response.

Dan reported that an ongoing investigation by the Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed the first drone, intercepted on the morning of July 24, was a Russian Shahed-type munition utilized in the conflict with Ukraine.

Investigations to determine the origin of the drones downed on Saturday and Sunday are currently underway.

“Romania’s diplomatic protest to the Russian Federation will be based on the results of these investigations,” Dan stated.

“It is unacceptable that the Russian Federation continues to violate Romania’s airspace, which is simultaneously NATO and European Union airspace. Such actions are unacceptable, and we, together with our allies, treat them with the utmost seriousness.”

Consecutive airspace violations

Sunday’s interception follows a series of airspace violations over the weekend.

On Saturday morning, July 25, a Romanian F-16 operating under a NATO air policing mission intercepted a drone approximately 10 kilometers west of the city of Sfântu Gheorghe. The Ministry of National Defense reported that the aircraft executed standard neutralization procedures, bringing the drone down in an unpopulated area.

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The defense ministry noted that the pilot responsible for Saturday’s interception was the same individual who shot down the drone on Friday.

The initial incident occurred on Friday, July 24, when radar systems detected an aerial target roughly 20 kilometers east of Sulina on the Black Sea coast. The drone entered Romanian airspace and traveled over Sulina, Brăila, and Fetești.

Two Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons deployed at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base were scrambled to intercept the target. Chief of Defense Gen. The Italian aircraft engaged the drone but failed to destroy it. A Romanian F-16 from the 86th Air Base then fired an air-to-air missile, destroying the target over a wheat field near Padina in Buzău County.

NATO and Romanian defense officials continue to monitor the airspace, and specialist teams have been dispatched to the respective crash sites to collect debris and conduct technical analyses.