NATO scrambled Turkish and Italian fighter jets after a drone entered Latvian airspace early on Aug. 14, with an Italian Eurofighter shooting down the aircraft, the alliance said.
Two Italian Eurofighters took off from Lithuania and two Turkish F-16s were scrambled from a base in Estonia after the drone was detected, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said.
One of the Italian jets identified and shot down the drone.
“All aircraft were operating under NATO command. An investigation is ongoing and NATO is in close contact with the Latvian authorities,” Hart said.
The drone’s origin was not immediately clear. Latvian troops were searching for debris in a wooded area near the village of Rugaji, around 35 kilometers from the Russian border.
Latvia’s military said Russian electronic warfare had caused the foreign drone to enter the country. Military spokesperson Iveta Berzina said its origin could not be established until the suspected crash site had been searched.
Authorities issued air threat warnings for several eastern municipalities and urged residents to remain indoors and avoid low-flying or suspicious objects. The warning was later lifted.
Türkiye deployed five F-16s and 76 personnel from the 181st Jet Squadron, known as the Panther Squadron, to Amari Air Base in Estonia this month.
The contingent will serve in NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission until November.
Finland also temporarily restricted air and maritime traffic in the eastern Gulf of Finland as a precaution against possible drone activity.
