Romanian F-16 shoot down drone in country’s airspace, Italian Eurofighters join

The President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, has confirmed that a Romanian Air Force F-16 shot down a drone that entered the country’s airspace.

On July 24, 2026, Prediden Dan said that the drone breached Romania’s territory and was struck by an F-16 pilot at around 11:00 this morning.

The incident marks the first time that Romania has fired upon and destroyed a drone within its own airspace.

In May 2026, a Romanian F-16 from Siauliai intercepted a drone over Lake Võrtsjärv in southern Estonia while on NATO air policing duties.

“The area was uninhabited, so the pilot was able to fire without any risk involved,” President Dan said. “Currently, teams from institutions with relevant responsibilities are investigating the area to provide all the details about the incident.”

În această dimineață, în jurul orei 11:00, un pilot român de pe un avion F-16 a doborât o dronă care a intrat în spațiul aerian al țării noastre. Zona era nelocuită, astfel încât pilotul a putut să tragă fără să existe niciun fel de risc. În prezent, echipele instituțiilor cu…— Nicușor Dan (@NicusorDanRO) July 24, 2026 According to local media, the Brăila Emergency Situations Inspectorate had warned some Romania residents that there was a possibility of falling objects from Romanian airspace on July 24, 2026.

The alert stated: “Stay calm! Take shelter in basements or civil protection shelters. In the absence of shelter, stay inside the house, away from windows and exterior walls. Estimated duration: 90 min.”

According to local media, the foreign drone was intercepted in Buzau County, northeast of the Romanian capital Bucharest.

As yet, there is no indication of the type of drone that breached Romanian airspace or where it originated. of the type of drone that breached Romanian airspace or where it originated from.

Echoing the president’s words, Romania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Toiu Oana, said the success of the operation was due to the “dedicated pilot, the rapid response of the Romanian Armed Forces, and seamless coordination with Italian Eurofighters on NATO Air Policing duty, which were also scrambled”.

Oana also confirmed that the impact area and the debris are currently being analyzed.

“The path toward increased security is the path toward peace at our border. We will protect our citizens and support international efforts to assist our neighbors, who are protecting innocent civilian lives against these illegal attacks,” Oana added.

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