Two Spanish F-18 fighter jets deployed with NATO have shot down a drone that entered Romanian airspace near the country’s border with Moldova.
The drone was detected around 24 kilometres north of Galati early Sunday morning. The Spanish jets, which were already on alert, were authorised to intervene at about 04:44 local time.
Romanian authorities said the origin of the drone had not yet been established. It was intercepted and destroyed between the towns of Baleni and Cudalbi in southeastern Romania.
Romania’s Defence Minister Miruta praised the Spanish pilots and Romanian military personnel involved in the operation, saying the incident demonstrated that the country was capable of defending its airspace with the support of its NATO allies.
He described Romania as being on the front line of European defence, noting its approximately 614-kilometre land border with Ukraine.
Growing number of airspace incidents
The incident comes amid intensified attacks between Russia and Ukraine, with both sides reporting large-scale drone strikes.
It also follows several recent incidents involving drones in or near Romanian airspace.
Last Thursday, Spanish F-18s were scrambled after a drone was detected near Romania’s border with Ukraine. The aircraft reportedly remained inside Romanian airspace for about 12 minutes before returning to Ukraine.
A day later, another drone crashed in Romania after flying undetected at very low altitude.
Other incidents have also been reported elsewhere on NATO’s eastern flank, including the downing of a drone over Latvia and an unidentified drone exploding in Bulgarian airspace near the Romanian border.
NATO on alert
Romania has experienced several drone-related incidents since Russia’s war against Ukraine intensified. One of the more serious cases occurred in May, when a Russian drone struck a residential building in Galati, causing a fire and injuring two people.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has previously reaffirmed the alliance’s commitment to defending every part of its territory.
The latest interception underscores growing concerns among NATO members bordering Ukraine that drones and other weapons linked to the Russia-Ukraine conflict could increasingly cross into allied airspace.
