U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Matthew Lotz
“There was a drone in our airspace. A few minutes ago, around 11:00 a.m., a Romanian pilot shot it down in an F-16 fighter jet. It’s important to note that the area [below] was uninhabited, which is why he was able to fire from above and below. Teams of experts from various agencies are currently conducting an investigation to determine all the details of the incident,” said Romanian President Nicușor Dan.
On Friday, a RO-ALERT warning was issued at the Buzău County level regarding a possible drone flight over flat terrain.
The alert was issued by the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) and covers a large area in southeastern Romania, including Buzău.
Later, the Romanian Ministry of National Defense (MApN) announced that the aerial target detected on Friday morning near Sulina had entered Romanian airspace along the Sulina–Brăila–Fetești–Buzău route. Two Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from the Italian Air Force and two F-16 aircraft from the Romanian Air Force were scrambled from the ground.
“An F-16 aircraft from the Romanian Air Force engaged the target and shot it down,” – reported representatives of the Ministry of National Defense (MApN).
“The drone crashed in an agricultural area, somewhere in a field, in an uninhabited region between Padina and Pogoanele. It was shot down by a NATO F-16 fighter jet. It was able to fire at it from a higher altitude because the drone wasn’t flying very high,” said Leonard Dimian, prefect of Buzău County.
The ownership of the drone is being determined.
