A Romanian F-16 fighter jet shot down an unauthorised drone after it entered Romania’s airspace on Friday, in what authorities described as the first such interception and destruction by the NATO member within its own territory. The incident highlights the growing risk of spillover from the war in neighbouring Ukraine and the pressure on NATO states to protect their airspace.

Romanian officials had not identified the drone’s origin or purpose at the time of reporting. Romania’s army chief said pilots believed it resembled a Shahed-type drone, a design widely associated with Iranian-made weapons used by Russia in Ukraine.