Romanian pilot shoots down drone in national airspace for first time

A Romanian F-16 pilot shot down a drone in Romanian airspace on Thursday, the first time the country's armed forces have successfully intercepted an aerial target. The incident occurred over the village of Padina, about 114 kilometers (71 miles) from the capital, Bucharest. The Ministry of Defense confirmed the F-16 pilot engaged the target at 11:02 AM local time. President Klaus Iohannis stated that the area was uninhabited, allowing the pilot to fire from above. "Our airspace contained a drone. It was shot down a few minutes ago, around 11 o'clock, by a Romanian pilot flying an F-16," he told a press conference. Airspace surveillance systems first detected the aerial target at 9:39 AM. Two Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons and two Romanian Air Force F-16s were dispatched to monitor the situation. The Ministry of Defense reported that the F-16 opened fire and downed the target at 11:02 AM. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, drones have been detected entering Romanian airspace dozens of times. However, this marks the first successful interception. In May, a Russian drone crashed into an apartment building in the Romanian border city of Galati, injuring two people.

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Our airspace contained a drone. It was shot down a few minutes ago, around 11 o'clock, by a Romanian pilot flying an F-16.