The Ministry of Defense of Romania announced this Thursday that a combat aircraft of the Air Force has neutralized a naval drone off the coast of Constanta, in the east of the country and bathed by the Black Sea. The incident took place about 80 nautical miles, that is, around 148 kilometers from the coastline.
According to the official note, "Two F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force took off towards the area where a small maritime drone was sighted in Romania's exclusive economic zone, near the (gas production) Neptun Alpha platform. One of the aircraft attacked the target and fired, successfully hitting it."
The unmanned device, which was adrift, was initially detected by a merchant ship around 06:28 hours (local time). After the alert, a Coast Guard vessel, which carries a team specialized in explosive deactivation on board, has headed to the indicated point to closely examine the drone and inspect the area.
"The mission continues. We will provide more information as it becomes available," the Ministry stated in its announcement. At the same time, Romanian President Nicusor Dan expressed his recognition to the Armed Forces and the two pilots involved for the "successful mission."
The head of State also conveyed his gratitude to the Coast Guard for their "quick reaction" in reporting the presence of the unmanned vehicle in the area. In his words, "This is a counterattack in which the absolute priority was the protection of the lives of the people working on the platform and the preservation of critical infrastructure against any potential danger."
Dan added that "I condemn in the strongest terms the intensification of this type of irresponsible incidents by Russia. We remain vigilant alongside our NATO allies to defend ourselves and reject such provocations."