A drone that entered Romanian airspace was shot down Friday morning by a Romanian Air Force F-16 fighter jet, President Nicusor Dan confirmed. The incident took place in Buzau County, according to local media reports, and authorities have launched an investigation into the drone's origin and the circumstances surrounding the airspace violation.
Speaking after attending the Romania-India Business Forum alongside Indian President Droupadi Murmu, Dan said the drone was intercepted at approximately 11:00 a.m. He stressed that it was flying over an uninhabited area, allowing military pilots to engage it without posing a risk to civilians.
"We had a drone in our airspace. It was shot down a few minutes ago, around 11:00, by a Romanian F-16 pilot," Dan said. "It is important to emphasize that the drone was in an uninhabited area. That is why it was possible to be hit from the air, and now the teams of the institutions are investigating to establish all the details of the incident."
The Romanian president said authorities are conducting inspections at the site where the drone came down to determine how it entered the country's airspace and to establish its identity.
At this stage, officials have not disclosed where the drone originated or whether it posed a direct threat to Romania. Dan said further information will be released once the ongoing investigation has been completed and the relevant authorities have established the facts surrounding the incident.
