According to the ministry, two Romanian F-16s were scrambled from an air base near Šiauliai in Lithuania after an unidentified flying object was detected entering Estonian airspace. The pilots identified the target and, after receiving authorisation to open fire, one of them launched an air-to-air missile to destroy the threat while seeking to minimise possible damage on the ground.
Romania deployed six Lockheed Martin F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcon aircraft to Lithuania as part of the allied Baltic Air Policing mission. The rotation began in April and is scheduled to run until July.
The deployment marks the fourth Baltic Air Policing rotation conducted by the Romanian Air Force. The mission supports NATO’s airspace surveillance and response posture over the Baltic states.
The incident is another case in which NATO aircraft have used air-to-air weapons against an unmanned platform that violated alliance airspace. A previous such case occurred in September 2025, when Polish Air Force F-16 Jastrząb fighters and Dutch F-35A Lightning II aircraft stationed in Poland were used to shoot down a threat over Polish territory.
