Romanian F-16 Downs Second Suspected Jet-Powered Russian Drone in Two Days

A Romanian Air Force F-16 fighter jet shot down a drone that entered the country’s airspace on the morning of July 25, marking the second such interception in as many days, according to Romanian President Nicușor Dan and the Romanian Ministry of National Defense.

The drone was intercepted at approximately 8:30 a.m. local time around 10 kilometers west of Sfântu Gheorghe, near Romania’s border with Ukraine. Romanian authorities said the aircraft was destroyed over an uninhabited area.

President Nicușor Dan announced the interception in a public statement, saying, “This morning at 8:30, another drone was shot down in Romanian airspace.”

Romania’s Ministry of National Defense separately confirmed that an F-16 fighter destroyed the unmanned aircraft after it entered Romanian airspace during Russia’s latest aerial attack against Ukraine. The ministry said the drone was intercepted over an unpopulated area close to the Ukrainian border.

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Although Romanian officials have not identified the drone type, the incident coincided with reports from the Ukrainian Air Force that Russian jet-powered drones were operating near Ochakiv and other locations in Ukraine’s Odesa and Mykolaiv regions earlier that morning, raising the possibility that the aircraft may have been one of the newer jet-powered variants.

The latest interception follows a similar incident on July 24, when a Romanian F-16 shot down another drone that violated the country’s airspace. According to Romanian officials, that engagement took place over an uninhabited area at around 11:00 a.m.

The repeated airspace incursions have fueled concerns among NATO's eastern members. Earlier this week, Poland warned that Russia could use captured Ukrainian drones in false-flag operations by changing their markings before sending them into NATO airspace. Ukrainian officials have also suggested Moscow may be deliberately directing drones toward neighboring Alliance countries.

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