Spanish F-18 on NATO Duty Shoots Down Drone Over Romania
A Spanish F-18 fighter jet on NATO air policing duty shot down a drone that entered Romanian airspace from Moldova early Sunday, marking the fourth such intercept this year. The drone was detected near Galați and destroyed over an unpopulated area, with no injuries or damage. The incident follows a pattern of Russian drone incursions linked to the war in Ukraine, including a July incident where Romanian F-16s downed three Russian drones. Romania recently authorized its military to destroy unidentified aircraft. The drone's origin remains under investigation.
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Spanish F-18s Respond to Drone Crash on Romania-Ukraine Border
Early Thursday morning, an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) entered Romanian airspace and crashed in an uninhabited area of Tulcea county, near the border with Ukraine. The Romanian Defence Ministry reported that military radar detected aerial targets north of Tulcea at 02:23 local time. Two Spanish Air Force F-18 fighter jets and a Romanian IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter were deployed to monitor the situation. At 03:21, one drone breached Romanian airspace approximately 13km east of Galați, and within three minutes, the helicopter crew confirmed it had crashed about 4km northeast of Grindu. The crash caused a small fire that extinguished itself, with no injuries or material damage. Authorities issued a public alert. This incident follows a similar event on 16 August, when a Spanish F-18 shot down a drone near the Ukrainian and Moldovan borders. The recurring drone incursions have raised security concerns among NATO members neighboring Ukraine.
Spanish F-18s Scrambled After Drone Crashes in Romania Near Ukraine Border
Early Thursday morning, an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) entered Romanian airspace and crashed in an uninhabited area of Tulcea county, northeast of the village of Grindu near the Ukraine border. The Romanian Defence Ministry reported that military radar detected aerial targets north of Tulcea at 02:23 local time. Two Spanish Air Force F-18 fighter jets and a Romanian IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter were deployed to monitor the situation. At 03:21, one drone breached Romanian airspace approximately 13km east of Galați, and within three minutes, the helicopter crew confirmed it had crashed about 4km northeast of Grindu, causing a small fire that self-extinguished. No injuries or material damage were reported. Public warning procedures were activated. This incident follows a similar event on 16 August, when a Spanish F-18 shot down a drone near the Ukrainian and Moldovan borders, and a July incident where Romania downed a drone for the first time since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The recurring drone incursions have raised security concerns among NATO members bordering Ukraine.
Spanish F-18s Respond to Drone Crash on Romania-Ukraine Border
Early Thursday morning, an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) entered Romanian airspace and crashed in an uninhabited area of Tulcea county, near the village of Grindu on the border with Ukraine. The Romanian Defence Ministry reported that military radar detected aerial targets north of Tulcea at 02:23 local time. Two Spanish F-18 fighter jets and a Romanian IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter were deployed to monitor the situation. At 03:21, one drone breached Romanian airspace approximately 13km east of Galați, and within three minutes, the helicopter crew confirmed it had crashed about 4km northeast of Grindu, causing a small fire that self-extinguished. No injuries or material damage were reported. The National Military Command Centre activated public warning procedures. This incident follows a similar event on 16 August, when a Spanish F-18 shot down a drone near the Ukrainian and Moldovan borders, and a previous drone downing last month. The recurring drone incursions have raised security concerns among NATO members neighboring Ukraine.
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NATO fighter jet shoots down drone over Romania
A NATO fighter jet shot down a drone over Romania, marking the fourth such interception by NATO over the country since the beginning of 2026. In July, Romanian F-16s downed three Russian drones that breached Romanian airspace, the first interceptions after dozens of incursions since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In May, a Russian drone crashed into an apartment building in Galați, injuring two people. Separately, Russia and Ukraine traded strikes over the weekend. Russian forces launched missile and drone attacks on Kyiv early Sunday, sparking fires in at least two districts and injuring three people. Ukrainian drones struck the Moscow region overnight in what the regional governor described as one of the largest attacks on the area, killing an 83-year-old man.
Spanish F-18 Shoots Down Drone Over Romania on NATO Air Policing Duty
A Spanish F-18 fighter jet on NATO air policing duty shot down a drone that entered Romanian airspace from Moldova early Sunday, marking the fourth such intercept by Romania this year. Romanian radar detected the drone at 4:44 a.m. local time near Galați, and two Spanish F-18s were dispatched from the 57th Air Base. One jet engaged and shot down the drone at 5:01 a.m., with wreckage falling in an unpopulated area between Băleni and Cudalbi. No injuries or property damage were reported. Romania's defense minister Radu Miruta credited Spanish pilots and Romanian command personnel. The incident follows previous drone incursions linked to Russia's war in Ukraine, including a July incident where Romanian F-16s shot down three Russian drones. Romania recently passed legislation authorizing its military to destroy unidentified aircraft entering its airspace. The drone's origin remains under investigation.
Spanish F-18 Shoots Down Drone Over Romania in Fourth Such Intercept This Year
A Spanish F-18 fighter jet on NATO air policing duty shot down a drone that entered Romanian airspace from Moldova early Sunday, marking the fourth drone Romania has intercepted this year. The incursion was detected by Romanian radar at 4:44 a.m. local time near Galați, and the drone was engaged and destroyed at 5:01 a.m. over an unpopulated area between Băleni and Cudalbi, with no injuries or damage reported. Romania's defense minister credited Spanish pilots and Romanian command personnel. The incident follows a pattern of Russian drone incursions linked to the war in Ukraine, including a July incident where Romanian F-16s shot down three Russian drones. Romania recently passed legislation authorizing its military to destroy unidentified aircraft in its airspace. The drone's origin remains under investigation.