Spanish NATO Jet Shoots Down Drone Over Romania

A Spanish F-18 fighter jet pilot operating on a NATO air policing mission shot down an unidentified drone that illegally entered Romanian airspace on Sunday. The Ministry of National Defence of Romania reported that radars detected the aircraft entering from neighboring Moldova, approximately 24 km north of Galati.

The drone was engaged at 05:01 am after the pilot received official permission. Fragments of the aircraft fell in an uninhabited area between two villages. The ministry stated, "The drone was shot down safely at 05:01 am."

While the origin of this specific drone was not specified, the incident follows a pattern of repeated incursions by Russian drones over the last four years. This event marks the fourth unmanned aircraft Romania has shot down this year, following the destruction of three Russian drones in July.