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Romanian F-16s shoot down two drones over Black Sea after airspace incursion

Romanian officials said the drones entered national airspace over the Black Sea on October 17. Their country of origin has not been identified.

NewsJaws DeskEditorial desk

Published 17 Oct 2026, 23:41 BST2 min read

Romanian Air Force F-16 aircraft alongside U.S. F-15E aircraft at Borcea Air Base. — Romanian Air Force F-16 aircraft stand alongside U.S. F-15E aircraft at Borcea Air Base, Romania, during a training operation in 2021. File photograph. F-15E Strike Eagles and F-16 aircraft from the Romanian Air Force — Capt. Andrew Layton (resized and converted to WebP). Public domain.Image source Image licence: Public domain

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Romanian F-16 fighter jets shot down two drones over the Black Sea on October 17 after they entered Romania’s airspace, according to the country’s Defense Ministry. The interception over Romanian territorial waters follows repeated drone incursions near the NATO member’s border with Ukraine. Officials have not identified the drones’ country of origin.

How Romania intercepted the drones

Romania’s radar detected a group of aerial targets about 120 kilometers east of Snake Island before two F-16s were scrambled from Borcea Air Base at 5:43 p.m. local time, The Kyiv Independent reported. The ministry described the two drones that were brought down as jet-powered members of the Geran family of attack drones, which Russia frequently uses against Ukraine. That description did not identify who launched these particular drones.

Defense Minister Radu Miruta said the first drone entered Romanian airspace at 5:59 p.m. and was shot down within two minutes, Deutsche Welle reported. The second was brought down at 6:05 p.m., five minutes after entering, he said. The Kyiv Independent reported that both shootdowns occurred between 6:01 p.m. and 6:05 p.m. and that the drones spent about five minutes maneuvering in Romanian airspace.

Deutsche Welle placed the shootdowns about 20 kilometers southeast of Sulina. The Kyiv Independent described the earlier radar detection east of Snake Island and placed the shootdowns over Romanian national waters. Those locations refer to different stages of the incident; the reports do not establish a more precise shared location for the interception.

NATO discussion follows Black Sea incidents

Foreign Minister Oana Toiu said NATO would discuss the incursion at a North Atlantic Council meeting on Tuesday, according to Deutsche Welle. Romania shares a 614-kilometer border with Ukraine, including a stretch along the Danube, and has repeatedly reported drone incursions since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. The Kyiv Independent reported that suspected drones crashed in Romania and Moldova on September 24 during an attack on Ukraine.

The incident also comes amid attacks on shipping off Romania’s coast. Deutsche Welle reported that two chemical tankers were attacked on Thursday near the Sulina Canal, which connects the Danube to the Black Sea and serves as an export route for Ukraine. Seven crew members were reported missing. Officials have not linked the drones shot down on October 17 to those tanker attacks.