After a week of airspace incursions and drone strikes on commercial ships, Romanian F-16 pilots downed two drones over the country’s Black Sea waters on Oct. 17.
The Ministry of National Defence said both drones entered Romanian airspace near Sulina before its pilots destroyed them. The first was shot down southeast of the town at 11:01 a.m. EDT (15:01 UTC), two minutes after entering. The second entered at 11:01 a.m. EDT and was downed east of Sulina at 11:05 a.m.
Romanian radar first detected aerial targets roughly 120 kilometers east of Snake Island, headed southwest, the ministry said. Two F-16s left the 86th Borcea Air Base at 10:43 a.m. EDT (14:43 UTC). In remarks carried by AGERPRES, interim National Defence Minister Radu Miruta said flight-path analysis had put the jets close to the expected crossing point before the drones arrived.
The ministry identified the aircraft as jet-propelled Geran-family attack drones. Miruta said they traveled at about 450 km/h, compared with 150 to 170 km/h for drones Romania had previously encountered. He said their speed suggested they might be Russian-made Geran-4s equipped with turboprop engines.
Over the preceding week, Romanian radar registered aerial targets in Ukrainian airspace close to the border on eight occasions, the ministry said. Drones crossed briefly into Romania in four of those cases. Drones also hit merchant ships during that period, including vessels in Romanian territorial waters, the ministry said.
Ministry figures reported by AGERPRES put this year’s total, as of Oct. 18, at six drones shot down after entering Romanian airspace. The same figures listed 44 drones or fragments recovered and neutralized on Romanian territory.
A NATO meeting on Black Sea security was scheduled for Oct. 20, interim Foreign Minister Oana Toiu said in an Oct. 15 interview with Euronews Romania.
