BUCHAREST: A Spanish F-18 fighter jet operating under NATO’s air policing mission shot down a drone that entered Romanian airspace without authorisation on Sunday, marking the fourth unmanned aircraft downed by the country this year.
Romania’s Defence Ministry said radar systems detected the drone entering from the direction of neighbouring Moldova, around 24 kilometres north of the southeastern Romanian city of Galati.
The ministry did not identify the origin of the aircraft.
The Spanish fighter established radar contact with the drone and received permission to engage before shooting it down safely at 5:01 am, according to the ministry.
Fragments of the aircraft were believed to have fallen in an uninhabited area between two villages, with no casualties immediately reported.
Drone incursions
Romania, a NATO member, shares a 614-kilometre border with Ukraine and has repeatedly reported drones entering its airspace.
In July, Romanian F-16 fighter jets shot down three Russian drones after they breached the country’s airspace, marking the first such interceptions following dozens of reported incursions.
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Earlier this year, a Russian drone crashed into an apartment building in Galati during an overnight attack targeting neighbouring Ukraine, injuring two people.
Romania has also reported mines drifting into the Black Sea during the conflict, raising security concerns around important regional trade and energy routes.
NATO members have strengthened air policing operations along the alliance’s eastern flank amid continuing concerns over spillover from the war in Ukraine.
