The Romanian army spent approximately 1.5 million euros in just three days to shoot down and destroy three drones that entered its national airspace, reports Digi24. The bulk of the costs are due to the missiles fired by the F-16 fighters in the air, the media outlet explains in its report on the subject, BTA writes.
The planes use AIM-9X missiles, with the price of one such ammunition being approximately $400,000. Three missiles were fired to destroy the three drones, the cited source states. To this amount are added the costs of flight hours and maintenance of the aircraft.
However, the Romanian Armed Forces would not be able to afford such costs in the long term if Russian drones continue to enter the national airspace with the same frequency, commented Digi24, adding that the Ministry of National Defense is looking for more cost-effective solutions.
According to the media outlet, the drones could also be theoretically destroyed using helicopters. This method would be cheaper, since the military can use onboard machine guns, although such an operation has not yet been carried out.
Romania is scheduled to receive two anti-drone systems next year. One is manufactured by an Israeli company, and the other will be created in cooperation between Romania and Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the war, over 100 Russian attacks have been recorded near the Romanian border. On 33 occasions, Russian drones have entered Romanian airspace, each time requiring fighter jets to be scrambled.