A Spanish F-18 fighter jet operating as part of NATO’s air policing mission shot down a suspected Russian drone that entered Romanian airspace from Moldova overnight on August 16.
According to Romania’s Defense Ministry, radar systems detected the unidentified aerial target at around 4:44 a.m., approximately 24 kilometers north of the city of Galați.
The Spanish F-18, operating from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, established radar contact with the drone and received authorization to engage it. The aircraft destroyed the target at 5:01 a.m. over an uninhabited area.
Debris from the drone fell in Galați County between the villages of Băleni and Cudalbi. An air-raid alert in the area was lifted at 5:20 a.m.
NATO military spokesperson U.S. Army Colonel Martin O’Donnell said preliminary information indicated that the drone was of Russian origin, although the circumstances of the incident remain under investigation.
While there was no indication that Russia had deliberately targeted NATO territory, O’Donnell described such incidents as “reckless and potentially dangerous” and stressed that the Alliance remained ready to defend its territory against threats.
Romania’s acting Defense Minister Radu Miruță confirmed the successful interception and thanked Spanish and Romanian personnel for their vigilance and rapid response.
The incident was the fourth case this year in which an unauthorized drone has been shot down over Romanian territory.
