Romanian F-16s shoot down drones violating NATO airspace near Black Sea

Romanian F-16 fighter jets shot down three drones that violated the country’s airspace over three consecutive days in late July 2026, marking a significant escalation in NATO’s posture along its eastern flank. The incidents, which occurred near the Black Sea between July 24 and July 26, represent the first time NATO fighters have actively engaged and destroyed unmanned aerial vehicles breaching alliance territory in the context of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. The drones are believed to be linked to Russian military operations targeting Ukraine. Each one penetrated Romanian airspace by approximately 10 kilometers before being neutralized. Three days, three shootdowns The first intercept took place on July 24 near Sulina, a port city at the edge of the Danube Delta along Romania’s Black Sea coast. A Romanian F-16 deployed an air-to-air missile to bring down the drone after it crossed into sovereign airspace. Two more drones followed the same general trajectory on July 25 and July 26, and Romanian jets dispatched both. In one case, the fighter reached the drone within five minutes of its entry into Romanian airspace, though tracking data indicates some of the unmanned aircraft...