Romania downs drone from Ukraine border with NATO F-16

Romania downs drone that entered from Ukraine with NATO F-16

Romania's Defense Ministry announced that F-16 fighter jets on a NATO Air Policing mission shot down a drone that illegally entered national airspace near the Ukrainian border. President Nicușor Dan confirmed the drone crashed in a sparsely populated area of the Danube Delta.

Scraper SystemJuly 25, 2026, 10:35 PM

Romania downs drone that entered from Ukraine with NATO F-16

Romania shot down a drone that illegally entered its airspace from the Ukrainian border with F-16 fighter jets operating under a NATO mission. The Defense Ministry announced that radar systems detected an airspace violation in the border area at 08:22 local time.

Two F-16s on standby as part of the NATO Air Policing mission intercepted the target and neutralized the drone in line with standard procedures. The ministry said specialist investigation teams have been deployed to examine the drone, which was safely downed near the state border in a sparsely populated area.

Romanian President Nicușor Dan confirmed on social media that the drone crashed 10 kilometers west of the Sfântu Gheorghe settlement in the Danube Delta. He emphasized that the airspace remains under constant surveillance and coordination with allies continues.

This marks the second airspace violation and shoot-down over Romania in the past two days. A day earlier, another drone that violated the airspace was similarly shot down by an F-16.