Bucharest [Romania], August 16 (ANI): Romania's Ministry of National Defense said on Sunday that a Spanish Air and Space Forces F-18 fighter jet operating under NATO's Air Policing mission shot down an unauthorised drone after it breached Romanian national airspace.
According to the ministry statement posted on X, the surveillance systems first detected the aerial intrusion on the intervening night of August 16 at 04:44 AM local time. The target entered Romanian airspace from the Republic of Moldova.
"On the night of August 15 to 16, at 04:44, the surveillance systems of the Ministry of National Defense detected the intrusion of an aerial target into national airspace, coming from the Republic of Moldova, approximately 24 km north of Galati," the statement read.
In response, the Spanish F-18 established radar contact with the incoming aircraft and obtained official approval to engage. The fighter jet safely intercepted and shot down the drone at 05:01 AM, the Ministry stated.
"An F-18 aircraft of the Spanish Air and Space Forces, which is carrying out the Air Policing Combat Service at the 57th Air Base ,,Mihail Kogalniceanu", on a monitoring mission, achieved radar contact with the target and received engagement approval. The drone was safely shot down by the F-18 aircraft at 05:01," it added.
The Ministry further stated that "a possible impact point for the drone wreckage was identified between the localities of Baleni and Cudalbi, Galati County, in an unpopulated area."
În noaptea de 15 spre 16 august, la ora 04.44, sistemele de supraveghere ale Ministerului Apărării Naționale au detectat pătrunderea unei ținte aeriene în spațiul aerian național, dinspre Republica Moldova, la aproximativ 24 km nord de Galați.
O aeronavă F-18 a Forțelor Aeriene… pic.twitter.com/TD99i4QFwp
Earlier, Romanian F-16 pilots intercepted and downed three Russian drones that violated the nation's airspace in July, according to a report by CNN.
The successful shootdowns marked the first instances of Romanian fighter jets directly engaging and neutralising such threats, following dozens of airspace incursions reported over more than four years of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The escalation follows an incident earlier in the year when a Russian drone strayed from an overnight strike targeting neighboring Ukraine and struck an apartment building in the Romanian border city of Galati, injuring two residents, CNN reported.
In September last year, Romania said that one of its fighter jets detected a drone entering the country's airspace during Russian strikes on Ukraine.
According to the Defence Ministry, a Russian Geran drone used in strikes against Ukraine entered the Romanian airspace on September 13 and was intercepted by two F-16 fighter jets on a routine patrol mission over northern Dobruja.
It had further stated that the drone remained in the skies of Romania for 50 minutes while flying from the northeast of Chilia Veche to the southwest of Izmail before exiting near Pardina and returning towards Ukraine.
Additionally, the Ministry had mentioned that Germany's deployed forces at Mihail Kogalniceanu air base scrambled two Eurofighter Typhoon jets to assist the Romanian aircraft, with the joint patrol monitoring the airspace until 9:30 p.m
The Ministry condemned Russia for violating its airspace during an attack on Ukraine, calling the action by Moscow "irresponsible".
Romania has repeatedly reported drone fragments landing on its soil since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, notably as Moscow has stepped up attacks on ports close to the Romanian border, as per France 24. (ANI)
