Romania shoots down Russian drones with second‑hand F‑16s, says ex‑Bulgarian minister

Former Bulgarian defence minister Todor Tagarev told Euronews Bulgaria that Romania has successfully intercepted and destroyed Russian Shahed drones using second‑hand F‑16 fighter jets bought from Portugal and Norway, modernised and fully integrated into NATO. He highlighted that the Romanian aircraft have proven capable of “dropping the ‘lăzile’ that we refused”, adding that three drones were shot down in recent days. Tagarev contrasted this with Bulgaria’s reliance on 37‑year‑old MiG‑29s, saying the older jets struggle to protect Bulgarian airspace and would likely be unable to down a Shahed drone. He warned that Bulgaria needs to accelerate its modernisation and improve infrastructure to allow allied aircraft to operate if required. The remarks underline divergent air‑defence approaches of the two neighbouring NATO members amid heightened regional tensions.