Romanian F-16 destroys sea drone near Black Sea gas platform

Two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled on August 20, 2026, after a commercial vessel reported a drifting maritime drone near the Neptun Alpha production platform, about 80 nautical miles east of Constanța, Romanian authorities said. One of the aircraft opened fire on the drone with its onboard cannon and struck the target, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

A Coast Guard vessel carrying an explosive ordnance disposal team from the Romanian Naval Forces was sent to confirm the outcome. The ministry described the operation as still underway when it issued its statement.

Interim Defense Minister Radu Miruță gave more details in a social media post. He said the drone had been spotted a few hundred meters from gas extraction activity at the Neptun Deep field, and that a ministry-level command cell was formed. Authority over the response, he said, was shifted from NATO to Romanian command. After consulting President Nicușor Dan, officials decided to destroy the drone to protect workers on the platform and safeguard the infrastructure, Miruță said.

He added that the jets were launched with clearance to fire and that the drone was destroyed without incident. Romania, he said, had received official confirmation through a direct channel with Ukraine that the drone did not originate there. He did not say where it came from.

The episode follows related incidents at the same field. On August 11, 2026, Romanian Naval Forces divers reportedly destroyed two other drifting drones near Neptun Deep, which is operated by OMV Petrom, through controlled detonation.