A drone that entered Romanian airspace without authorization was shot down in an operation coordinated through NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre at Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base in Spain.
In a post on X dated August 16, NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) said that two Spanish F-18s conducting an enhanced air-policing mission in Romania had been scrambled in the morning. The jets shot down the drone inside Romanian airspace.
Spanish air assets deployed in Romania
AIRCOM said the F-18s were part of a larger unit formed by the Spanish Air and Space Force. The unit was deployed to Romania’s Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base at the beginning of the month.
About 200 Spanish personnel, seven F-18 fighter jets, three NH-90 helicopters and one A400M tanker aircraft are stationed at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base for use against drones.

Authorities investigate the drone’s origin
Romanian Defense Minister Radu-Dinel Miruță said the vehicle that entered the country’s airspace without authorization had been shot down by Spanish F-18s assigned to NATO.
Miruță said the drone had crashed in an uninhabited forested area and that efforts were underway to determine which country it belonged to.
NATO’s approach to air defense
AIRCOM said NATO could respond more flexibly to a broader range of threats after shifting from air policing to air defense. The command said a multilayered “360-degree” approach was being applied across all operational areas.
In July, three drones that entered the country’s airspace without authorization on three consecutive days were also shot down in Romania.