A missile fired by a pilot of a Romanian F-16 fighter jet from the Carpathian Vipers squadron shot down a drone over Estonia.
DefenseRomania reports that the drone initially flew over Russian territory but was later disoriented or jammed by Russian electronic warfare systems, after which it changed course.
The drone then entered Estonian airspace and flew approximately 80 kilometers into the country.
Due to the airspace violation, a decision was made to scramble fighter jets.
Around 11:00 a.m. local time, NATO’s Joint Air Operations Center in Wedem ordered two Romanian F-16s from the Carpathian Vipers squadron to take off.
The pilots quickly detected the target and carried out all necessary identification procedures.
The drone was then shot down by an air-to-air missile, not by the fighter jet’s onboard cannon.
The UAV was shot down near Lake Virtsjärvi. It crashed in a marshy area, and the search for debris is ongoing.
The pilot who shot down the drone was Captain-Commander Pavelescu Costel-Alexandru. His name was mentioned in a public post by Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruce.
According to the Minister, the Romanian pilot is set to be awarded for his professional conduct during the NATO mission to safeguard the airspace of the Baltic region.
The Carpathian Vipers air unit is currently stationed at the Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania.
The contingent consists of about 100 military personnel and six F-16 fighter jets, which are participating in NATO’s enhanced air policing mission in the Baltic states from April through July 2026.
