The latest interception took place about 12 kilometres north-east of Sulina. The wreckage fell into the Black Sea inside Romanian territorial waters.
Authorities are searching for debris to identify the aircraft. The ministry has not disclosed the type or origin of the unmanned system.
The incident followed two other shoot-downs on 24 and 25 July. The sequence points to a higher tempo of Romanian air-defence activity in response to repeated incursions by unmanned aircraft.
On 25 July, a Romanian F-16 shot down an unmanned aircraft about 10 kilometres north-west of Sfântu Gheorghe. The debris fell in an uninhabited area and is being searched for by Romanian authorities.
A day earlier, Romanian forces intercepted another unmanned aircraft roughly 20 kilometres east of Sulina. Romanian F-16s were supported in that operation by two Italian Air Force Eurofighter combat aircraft.
Romania’s Defence Ministry said debris from the 24 July target has already been recovered. Wreckage from the air-to-air missile used in the engagement was also found.
The three incidents mark a concentrated series of drone-related airspace violations along Romania’s Black Sea approaches. They also show a more active Romanian response to such incursions than in previous periods.
Romanian authorities are continuing recovery operations following the latest shoot-down. Identification of the wreckage will be central to determining the nature of the unmanned aircraft involved.
