Fighter jets destroy explosive-laden sea drone close to huge gas platform

Craig Munro | Senior Politics Reporter Published August 20, 2026 4:49pm Updated August 20, 2026 4:50pm A picture of the drone uploaded by Romania’s defence minister (Picture: Radu Miruţă) A marine drone packed with explosives was destroyed by fighter jets in the Black Sea a few hundred metres from an under-construction gas project. Two Romanian F-16 planes were sent to respond after the drone was spotted by a commercial ship in the vicinity of the Neptun Deep platform at around 6.30am local time (4.20am UK time). The platform is part of a project that is set to make Romania the biggest gas producer in the European Union when it comes online next year. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X: ‘An escalating campaign of threats is underway, unsettling our citizens and s