Romania expands drone capabilities for emergency response and security

The commune of Balc in Romania will purchase a professional drone costing about €11,000, financed with EU recovery funds. The UAV is equipped with a thermal camera and intelligent monitoring systems for search‑and‑rescue, flood, fire and wildlife surveillance, and will be operated by a specially trained pilot in cooperation with emergency services.

At the same time, NATO ambassadors discussed an accelerated programme to acquire additional drones for Romania after a Russian drone crash injured two people in a Bucharest apartment block. The alliance is preparing concrete support measures for the upcoming summit in Ankara, citing heightened drone threats over the Black Sea and concerns for critical infrastructure such as the Neptun Deep gas project.