Romanian Air Force F-16s neutralise maritime drone near Neptun Alpha

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Early today, two Romanian Air Force F-16 fighters were deployed after a maritime drone was sighted in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone. The system was detected near the Neptun Alpha gas production platform in the Black Sea, roughly 80 nautical miles (148 km) away. One of the Romanian fighters fired its onboard cannon at the maritime drone, which was later neutralised by military personnel.

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According to a Romanian Ministry of National Defence press release, a merchant vessel reported the drifting maritime drone in the area at around 06:28 on 20 August. The ministry also stated: “A Coast Guard vessel carrying an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team from the Romanian Naval Forces is heading to the location of the drone to carry out inspections.” The statement confirmed that one of the Romanian Air Force combat aircraft had used its onboard cannon against the target, successfully striking the maritime drone.

More recently, the ministry issued an update on the deployment, explaining that it involved a single maritime system fitted with an explosive charge. “The drone was hit by the onboard cannon of an F-16, but was not completely destroyed. Subsequently, explosive ordnance disposal personnel aboard the vessel neutralised the drone safely. The checks carried out confirmed that it was carrying an explosive charge,” it explained on social media.

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F-16 response to the maritime drone near Neptun Alpha

Romania’s Ministry of Defence has not confirmed the origin of the maritime drone. Romanian President Nicușor Dan commented on the F-16 and Coast Guard deployment, saying: “A race-against-time operation in which the absolute priority was protecting the lives of people working on the platform and keeping critical infrastructure away from any potential danger. I strongly condemn the escalation of this type of irresponsible incident by the Russian Federation.”

The sighted maritime drone was close to the Neptun Alpha platform, part of Romania’s Neptun Deep natural gas project. It is one of the most significant energy fields in the European Union context. Production is due to begin in 2027, increasing Romania’s gas output and net export capacity. The project is considered vital to strengthening the country’s and the European Union’s energy security amid dependence on imported energy resources.

NATO presence on the eastern flank

Within the Transatlantic Alliance, Allied forces have increased their operational alert sorties on NATO’s eastern flank by more than 250%. The main reason identified is the rise in Russian Armed Forces air activity close to Allied airspace. In this context, on 16 August, an unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down by Spanish Air and Space Force F-18M Hornet fighters after entering Romanian airspace. Spain’s “Paznic” Tactical Air Detachment began deploying to Romanian territory at the end of July as part of NATO’s Enhanced Air Policing mission in Romania.

Photographs used for illustrative purposes.