Drone Downing Operation in Romania

NATO announced that the operation to down an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that entered Romania's airspace without permission was coordinated through the NATO Joint Air Operations Center in Torrejon de Ardoz, Spain. The two Spanish F-18 fighter jets that downed the UAV were reported to have been deployed to the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania at the beginning of the month. It was also reported that the F-18s are part of a larger unit belonging to the Spanish Air and Space Force, with a total of 7 F-18s, 3 NH-90 UAV-preventing helicopters, 1 A400M aerial refueling aircraft, and approximately 200 personnel from Spain stationed at the same base. Romanian Defense Minister Radu-Dinel Miruta had announced earlier that the UAV that entered the country's airspace without permission was downed by NATO's Spanish F-18 fighter jets. Miruta shared the information that the UAV fell in a forested area with no settlements and stated that work had begun to determine which country the UAV belonged to. In July, 3 UAVs that entered Romania's airspace without permission were also downed for 3 consecutive days.