An unmanned aerial vehicle that entered Romanian airspace without authorization was shot down through coordination conducted via NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre, located at Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base in Spain.
AIRCOM said in a post on X dated August 16 that two Spanish F-18 jets carrying out an enhanced air defense mission in Romania were placed on alert in the morning. The jets shot down the drone in Romanian airspace.

Deployment of the Spanish unit
AIRCOM said the F-18s were part of a larger unit from the Spanish Air and Space Force. The unit arrived at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base in Romania at the beginning of the month.
A total of seven F-18 fighter jets, three NH-90 helicopters for use against drones, one A400M tanker aircraft and approximately 200 Spanish personnel were deployed at the base.
Country of origin of the drone under investigation
Romanian Defense Minister Radu-Dinel Miruță also said that the drone, which entered the country’s airspace without authorization, was shot down by NATO-affiliated Spanish F-18s.
Miruță said the drone fell in a wooded area without settlements and that efforts were underway to determine which country the aircraft belonged to.
NATO’s approach to air defense
AIRCOM said NATO’s shift from air patrols to air defense had enabled it to respond more flexibly to a broader range of threats. The statement said a multilayered, “360-degree” approach was used across all operational areas.
Three drones that entered the country’s airspace without authorization were also shot down in Romania on three consecutive days in July.