Romania's National Defence Ministry (MApN) and NATO confirmed on Tuesday that a Romanian Air Force F-16 fighter jet deployed to Lithuania as part of NATO's enhanced Air Policing mission in the Baltic states shot down a drone that had entered the Estonian airspace.

According to the Romanian Defence Ministry (MApN), two F-16 aircraft from the Carpathian Vipers Detachment were scrambled at around 11:00 local time following a NATO Air Policing alert issued by the Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Uedem.

'The pilots identified the target and completed all identification, engagement approval and risk minimisation procedures, after which they launched an air-to-air missile, shooting down the drone,' the ministry said in a press release.

The Carpathian Vipers Detachment, comprising around 100 servicemen and six F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, is deployed to Lithuania's Siauliai Air Base and is carrying out enhanced Air Policing missions between April and July 2026. This marks the Romanian Air Force's fourth deployment to Lithuania in support of protecting the integrity of Baltic and NATO airspace.

NATO later confirmed that a Romanian F-16 operating under the Baltic Air Policing mission had downed the drone over Estonian airspace and said an investigation was under way. The alliance stated that NATO 'is ready and capable to respond to any potential air threats'.

According to the Estonian military, the drone entered Estonian airspace around noon local time (09:00 GMT) on Tuesday after approaching from Russia and penetrating the south-eastern part of the country. It was shot down at 12:14 local time (09:14 GMT) by a Romanian NATO F-16 using a single missile.

'The incident took place under conditions of intense electronic warfare, including GPS jamming and interference from Russia', the Estonian military said, adding that the drone had been monitored before entering Estonian territory and that the decision to shoot it down had been taken in order to 'minimise the impact on civilians and infrastructure'.

Neighbouring Latvia also issued an air threat alert after a drone entered its airspace on Tuesday, advising residents near the Russian border to remain indoors, while aircraft involved in NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission were mobilised in the area.

It was initially unclear whether the drone that entered Latvian airspace was the same one that later entered Estonia or whether the incidents involved two separate drones. However, Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur, quoted by AFP, said the drone had first been detected by Latvia before being shot down by a Romanian F-16 stationed in Lithuania. Debris from the aircraft was reported near the town of Poltsamaa, in a rural area in central Estonia.

According to Reuters, the drone appeared to have originated from Ukraine. Since March, several Ukrainian military drones have strayed into the airspace of NATO member states Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, all of which border Russia. Estonia and Latvia attributed the incursions to Russia and stressed that although Ukraine has the right to strike Russian military targets, neither country has allowed attacks against Russia to be launched from their territory.

Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone attacks against Russia, including in the Baltic Sea region. The Latvian government resigned last week following criticism over the way it handled previous drone incursions. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Eusebi Manolache, Mariana Ionescu; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)