Romania Blows Up Two Gerbera Drones Drifting Near Black Sea Gas Platform

Romanian military forces destroyed two Gerbera-type drones on Tuesday that were drifting within the country’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, near a gas platform operated as part of the Neptun Deep project.

Romania’s acting Defence Minister, Radu Miruță, reported the incident on August 11.

The drones were detected by one of the vessels carrying out work in the area of the gas platform. A Romanian Coast Guard vessel carrying bomb-disposal specialists was dispatched to the scene.

The drones were located approximately 90 nautical miles east of Constanța. Several other pieces of debris were also found alongside them.

Romania’s Ministry of National Defence contacted the Ukrainian side, which confirmed that the drones did not belong to Ukraine.

“Two drifting drones and several other pieces of debris were found. Romania’s Ministry of National Defence contacted Ukrainian officials, who confirmed that the drones did not belong to Ukraine,” Miruță added.

To ensure the safety of ships and workers operating near the platform, the Romanian military decided to safely destroy the drones by detonating them in a controlled explosion.

Gerbera Drone

The Gerbera UAV was primarily designed for use as a decoy target. These drones force air-defense forces to spend time and resources detecting and intercepting them, while also helping Russian forces identify the positions of Ukrainian air-defense systems.

Later, Russian forces began equipping Gerbera drones with warheads, turning them into strike UAVs. The drone can also be used for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.