The aerial target was detected in the Danube Delta region and intercepted about 10 kilometers from Sfântu Gheorghe; authorities are still investigating the origin of the equipment
A Romanian Air Force F-16 fighter jet shot down a drone on the morning of Saturday, July 25, after it entered the country’s airspace without authorization. It was the second interception of this kind carried out by Romanian military aviation in less than 24 hours.
The incident was announced by Romanian President Nicușor Dan. According to the head of state, the drone was neutralized at around 8:30 a.m., approximately 10 kilometers west of the town of Sfântu Gheorghe, in the Danube Delta, near the border with Ukraine.
Romania’s Ministry of National Defence stated that its surveillance systems detected the target entering the country’s airspace at 8:22 a.m. Two F-16 fighter jets carrying out an air-policing mission were directed to the area and performed identification and interception procedures. The equipment fell in an uninhabited area, reducing the risks to the population.
Specialized teams were sent to the impact site to locate the wreckage and gather information that could help identify the drone’s model, flight path, and origin. At the time the initial statement was released, Romanian authorities had not officially attributed the equipment to any country.
Shortly before the incident, the Ukrainian Air Force had warned of jet-powered drone activity near Ochakiv. Other devices were heading toward the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions, areas close to the Black Sea and the air corridor that follows the Romanian border.
The geographical proximity and sequence of events will be analyzed by authorities, but there is still no public confirmation that the drone shot down over Romania was part of the same operation detected by Ukrainian radars.
Second incident in less than 24 hours
The latest incident occurred one day after another Romanian F-16 used a missile to intercept a drone that had crossed the country’s airspace.
In the July 24 incident, the target was initially detected about 20 kilometers east of Sulina. Its flight path crossed the regions of Brăila, Fetești, and Buzău, prompting the deployment of Romanian F-16 fighter jets and Eurofighter Typhoons from the Italian Air Force.
The drone was hit at 11:02 a.m. over an uninhabited area near Padina, in Buzău County. The action marked the first time a Romanian Air Force fighter jet had shot down a drone inside the country’s airspace.
The two incidents demonstrate a change in Romania’s operational response to unauthorized objects. In addition to radar monitoring, fighter jets now carry out direct neutralization when conditions allow action with a low risk to people and property on the ground.
As a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Romania maintains permanent air-policing missions and shares information with the alliance’s defense structures. The Danube Delta region receives special attention because of its proximity to southern Ukraine, where drone operations are frequently recorded.
În această dimineață, la ora 8:30, o nouă dronă a fost doborâtă în spațiul aerian românesc, la 10 km vest de localitatea Sfântu Gheorghe (Delta). Drona a fost doborâtă de un pilot român dintr-un avion F-16.
— Nicușor Dan (@NicusorDanRO) July 25, 2026
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Source and images: X @NicusorDanRO | Romanian Ministry of National Defence | Ukrainian Air Force | Militarnyi | Wikimedia. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
