Romania spent $400,000 to intercept each Russian drone, officials say
Photo: Romanian F-16s (Getty Images)
According to the outlet, Romanian F-16 fighter jets use AIM-9X missiles, each costing around $400,000. Three missiles were fired to destroy the three drones, bringing the total missile cost to approximately $1.2 million.
With flight hours and servicing included, the three operations cost around 1.5 million euros in total.
Romanian officials stressed that protecting the country's population remains a top priority regardless of the cost. However, the Romanian military won’t be able to sustain these costs long-term if Russian drones continue to violate the country's airspace at the current rate.
More than 100 attacks near Romania's border
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 100 Russian attacks have been recorded near Romania's border. In 33 cases, Russian drones entered Romanian airspace, prompting the country's air force to scramble fighter jets each time.
Drone wreckage has been found on Romanian territory in around 50 incidents.
What happened before
On the morning of July 26, a Romanian F-16 shot down a third Russian drone that had entered the country's airspace.
A day earlier, on July 25, the Romanian Air Force also intercepted a Russian drone that crossed into the country during another Russian attack on Ukraine.
The first such incident occurred on July 24, when a Romanian F-16 destroyed a drone that violated the country's airspace. Romanian prosecutors later confirmed it was a Russian Shahed attack drone.
During the latest airspace violation, NATO scrambled four fighter jets: two Romanian F-16s and two Italian Eurofighters.
In addition, Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador after Romanian fighter jets shot down the third Russian drone to enter the country's airspace in the span of three days.
