Spanish F-18 Shoots Down Drone Over Romania After Approach Via Moldova

The Spanish Air and Space Force has shot down a drone over southeastern Romania in the early hours of August 16, 2026. The incident occurred after the drone entered Romanian airspace from the direction of the Republic of Moldova. According to the Romanian Ministry of National Defense, its surveillance systems detected an aerial target entering national airspace at 04:44 local time. An F/A-18 Hornet assigned to air policing duty at the 57th Air Base at Mihail Kogalniceanu was already airborne on a monitoring mission and established radar contact with the drone. The Romanian Ministry of National Defense received approval to engage the drone, and it was destroyed at 05:01, 17 minutes after detection. ## Air Policing Mission in Romania The air policing mission in Romania is a joint effort between NATO member countries. Spain took over the mission from Italian and British detachments at a ceremony at the 86th Air Base in Borcea on July 31, 2026. The Spanish contingent operates seven F/A-18M Hornets and around 200 personnel from Mihail Kogalniceanu, supported by an A400M tanker, with three NH-90 helicopters assigned to counter-drone tasks. This is Spain's fourth deployment to Romania, after 2021, 2024, and February 2026. The rotation runs to the end of November 2026. The Spanish detachment flew its first live Alpha scramble on August 12, 2026. ## Drone Incidents in Romania The incident on August 16, 2026, is the fourth unmanned aircraft destroyed over Romanian territory this year. In July, Romanian F-16 pilots shot down three drones on three consecutive days between July 24 and July 26, 2026. Prosecutors identified the July 24 aircraft as a Shahed type, and Bucharest expelled a Russian diplomat and recalled its ambassador from Moscow. A Russian drone had earlier struck a residential building in Galati on May 29, 2026, injuring two people. The interception on August 16, 2026, is the second by allied fighters on NATO's eastern flank in three days, after NATO jets downed a drone over Latvia on August 14, 2026. The incident highlights the ongoing security concerns in the region, with multiple drone incidents reported in recent weeks. The Romanian Ministry of National Defense has not identified the drone's type or operator, and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.