BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets after a small unmanned maritime vessel was discovered drifting near the strategically important Neptun Deep offshore natural-gas project in the Black Sea, prompting a rapid military and explosive-ordnance response.
The incident was reported by a commercial vessel at approximately 6:28 a.m. local time on Aug. 20 after the drone was spotted several hundred meters from the Neptun Alpha offshore platform. The facility is located roughly 80 nautical miles east of Constanța, within Romania’s exclusive economic zone, according to the Romanian Ministry of National Defence.
Because of the drone’s proximity to critical energy infrastructure and personnel working offshore, Romanian authorities treated the discovery as a potential security threat. Two Romanian Air Force F-16 fighter jets were dispatched to investigate the unmanned craft and monitor the surrounding area.