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A Romanian Air Force F-16 fighter destroyed a small maritime drone in the country’s exclusive economic zone, around 80 miles east of Constanța, Romania’s Defense Ministry said.
On August 20, two Romanian F-16s were scrambled after a small unmanned vessel was detected near the Neptun Alpha offshore platform.
One of the fighter jets destroyed the drone using its onboard cannon.
A commercial vessel spotted the drifting drone at around 6:28 a.m. local time. A Romanian Coast Guard ship carrying a Navy explosive ordnance disposal team was dispatched to the area, with operations to secure and neutralize the device ongoing.
Recent drone incidents in Romania
The incident follows several recent cases involving drones near or over Romanian territory.
On the night of August 20, a drone entered Romanian airspace and later crashed in Tulcea County near the Ukrainian border.
Earlier, a Spanish F-18 operating from Romania shot down a drone that had entered Romanian airspace. Romanian authorities did not officially confirm the drone’s origin.
In late July, Romania also shot down three drones within three days, at a reported cost of around €1.5 million.
