Romania Prepares Law to Allow Downing of Drones Flown In From Abroad

Romania plans to adopt a law on the right to shoot down drones that illegally violate its airspace, Reuters reports.

The draft law, which was put up for public discussion on Monday, sets out specific conditions under which Romania will control the use of its airspace by both manned and unmanned aircraft.

‘Efforts are ongoing at the European Union level to have a common approach to unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as to establish measures to counteract the risks,’ the draft law says.

‘Military operations in the Black Sea, the massive increase in the use of UAVs, both military and adapted for military use, continue to pose major risks on the border with Ukraine and near the Romanian border zone,’ the report says.

It is reported that the measures proposed for manned aircraft are gradual: from locating and identifying the aircraft to attempting contact, interception and warning shots.

A manned aircraft flying without authorisation can only be destroyed if it has carried out an attack or responded aggressively to an interception.

According to the proposed bill, Reuters reports that allied systems located in Romania can also take part in any actions under collective defence treaties with NATO and EU member states.

It is noted that this month, Romania's radar systems detected four separate signals, probably from drones that violated national airspace.

On 18 October, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the violation of airspace by a Russian drone. The radar signal showed that the Romanian land border was crossed in the east of the country. The drone was heading towards Romania over the Black Sea.