Overview
- Turkey’s defense ministry said F-16s under NATO and national command were scrambled after routine monitoring detected an inbound air track over the Black Sea.
- The track was assessed as an unmanned aerial vehicle that had gone out of control and was brought down in a designated safe area away from populated zones with no injuries or ground damage reported.
- Officials provided no information on the drone’s type, operator, or origin and did not specify whether it entered Turkish airspace before engagement.
- Turkish media reported the wreckage fell over land, with identification to be determined after recovery efforts.
- The incident comes as Black Sea hostilities between Russia and Ukraine intensify, following reported strikes on Russia-linked tankers and Turkey’s recent summons of both embassies over shipping attacks.