Romanian F-16s Shoot Down Second Unauthorized Drone Near Ukraine Border

ROMANIA — On July 25 at 08:22, the radar surveillance systems of the Romanian Ministry of Defense detected a new unauthorized incursion into national airspace by a drone operating in the border area with Ukraine.

Two F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft of the Romanian Air Force, on duty in the Air Policing combat service, intercepted the aerial target and carried out standard identification and engagement procedures, according to the ministry.

The drone was shot down safely in an uninhabited area near the border. Ministry teams will proceed to the impact area for checks.

This marked the second such engagement in consecutive days. On July 24, an F-16 from the 86th Air Base at Fetești engaged and destroyed an unmanned aerial vehicle over an unpopulated area near Padina in Buzău County after radar detected it approximately 20 kilometers east of Sulina.

No casualties or material damage have been reported from either aerial incident.

In a separate development during the night of July 23-24, the Romanian Department for Emergency Situations reported an explosion that damaged the Liberian-flagged dry cargo ship Christiana B, carrying coal from Norfolk, Virginia, to Ukraine, approximately 22 nautical miles southeast of Sfântu Gheorghe within Romania’s exclusive economic zone.

Preliminary assessment indicated possible maritime drone or naval mine involvement.

Official Statements

• Ministry of National Defense, July 25 (Press Release No. 214): “On Saturday, July 25, at 08:22, the radar surveillance systems of the Ministry of National Defense detected a new unauthorized intrusion into national airspace of a drone operating in the border area with Ukraine. Two F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft of the Romanian Air Force, on combat duty Air Police, intercepted the aerial target and executed standard identification and neutralization procedures. The drone was shot down safely in an uninhabited area near the border. MApN teams will proceed to the impact area for checks. The Ministry of National Defense continuously monitors the situation in airspace and is in close contact with allied structures. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.)

• Ministry of National Defense, July 24: “An F-16 fighter aircraft of the Romanian Air Force, assigned to the 86th Air Base, Fetești, while conducting an air policing mission to monitor and track an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that had violated national airspace, engaged the target with an air-to-air missile on Friday, July 24th and neutralized it over an unpopulated area in the vicinity of Padina, Buzău County.”

• Ministry of National Defense, July 24 (debris update): “Teams of the Ministry of National Defense on the ground identified the impact zones resulting from the Friday, July 24, interception of a drone by a Romanian Air Force F-16 aircraft. Thus, remnants of the drone and the interceptor missile were identified in the Padina area, Buzău County, and a crater and remnants of an air-to-air missile in the Tătaru area, Brăila County. No casualties or material damage were recorded.)

• NATO Allied Air Command, July 24: “In the morning hours of 24 July 2026, two Romanian F-16s at Fetești Air Base and two Italian Eurofighters at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base scrambled under NATO command and control to identify an unknown unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flying close to Romanian airspace. The drone was promptly identified, and after crossing into Romanian airspace, the NATO assets were cleared to engage. Quickly after, the threat was shot down in Romanian airspace. This multinational combined effort underlines how NATO is ready and able to react to any potential air threats, 24/7, to safeguard our territory and protect our people.”

• Ministry of National Defense, July 24 (overnight detections): “During the night of July 23 to 24, the Russian Federation carried out a series of drone attacks on civilian and infrastructure objectives in Ukraine. The MApN radar surveillance system detected, around 00:10, a group of aerial targets operating at a distance of approximately 33 km north of the river border with Romania.)