News.am — NATO combat aircraft were scrambled in Romania on Friday morning to intercept an unmanned aerial vehicle that entered the country's airspace. The operation involved two Eurofighter Typhoons from the Italian Air Force and two F-16 fighters from the Romanian Air Force. One of the F-16s fired an air-to-air missile at the drone over a deserted area of Padina commune, approximately 80 km from Bucharest. This marks the first such incident in NATO member Romania.
The radar detected the drone around 9:40 AM over the Black Sea, after which it moved westward toward the towns of Sulina and Buzău. Following the interception, debris fell onto a wheat field but caused no damage. Romania's Chief of the General Staff, General Gheorghiță Vlad, stated that a preliminary inspection of the debris indicated it was a 'Shahed,' though it is still early to make conclusions about the device's affiliation.
President Nicolae Ciucă noted that the area was deserted, allowing the pilot to fire without risk, and specialists are currently examining the site to determine the details of the incident. Romania, which shares a 650 km land border with Ukraine, has previously faced multiple violations of its airspace by Russian drones. In May, one such drone heading toward Ukraine collided with an apartment building in the Romanian city of Galați, prompting the evacuation of approximately 70 residents and leaving two people with minor injuries.
