Romanian F-16 destroys sea drone off Constanța coast
On Thursday, a Romanian Air Force F-16 destroyed an unidentified sea drone in Romania's exclusive economic zone near the Neptun Alpha platform. The defense ministry later confirmed the drone was not of Ukrainian origin.
On Thursday, August 20, a Romanian Air Force F-16 fighter jet destroyed a small sea drone in the Black Sea off the coast of Constanța, the Romanian Ministry of National Defense reported.
The drone was spotted in Romania's exclusive economic zone, about 80 nautical miles east of Constanța, near the Neptun Alpha gas platform. A commercial vessel reported the drifting drone at around 6:28 a.m. local time.
Following the incident, the Romanian Ministry of National Defense set up a task force, which asked NATO to hand command over to Romanian armed forces. Acting Defense Minister Radu Mirută said the decision to destroy the drone was made after analysis and in coordination with the president, in order to protect the lives of several hundred workers on the platform and to safeguard critical infrastructure.
Two Romanian F-16 jets were scrambled with orders to open fire for a rapid response. The drone was safely destroyed.
Not of Ukrainian origin
Mirută noted that through a recently established direct communication channel with the Ukrainian side, official confirmation was received that the drone was not of Ukrainian origin.
A coast guard vessel carrying a Romanian Navy explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team is heading to the drone's location to inspect it. The operation is ongoing.
It was also reported that one drone fell in an uninhabited area of Romanian territory, and another drone fell on the territory of Moldova.
