The unmanned aerial vehicle, identified as a Ukraine-produced Liytii model, crossed into Estonian airspace on 6 August and was intercepted close to the Ämari Air Base. Debris from the downed drone reportedly caused damage to two Portuguese Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets stationed at the facility. A new F-16 Fighting Falcon has an estimated unit cost of around €60 million.
The Portuguese aircraft formed part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission. Portugal assumed responsibility for the rotation on 1 April 2026 and was scheduled to hand over airspace surveillance duties to the Turkish Air Force at the beginning of August. Four Portuguese F-16s remained at Ämari at the time of the incident.
No further details on casualties, the extent of the aircraft damage, or the precise circumstances of the interception have been confirmed by Estonian or NATO authorities.
