Romania scrambles fighter jets over airborne target crossing its border

Romania scrambled four fighter jets on Thursday evening, 17 October, after an unknown flying target crossed its border.

As reported by Romania's Defence Ministry, the defence ministry noted that radars detected a "small airborne target" at around 17:00 in the Black Sea area, 150 km east of Constanța County.

Two F-18 aircraft from the Spanish Air Force and two F-16 aircraft from the Romanian Air Force were scrambled to monitor the situation, with Romania's Defence Ministry notifying allied forces about the incident.

The object crossed the Romanian land border near the town of Eforie Nord at around 19:00 and headed towards the village of Topraisar in the same county.

The object flew 14 km into the country but disappeared from radar at around 19:20 east of Amzacea.

The defence ministry clarified that the fighter jets did not engage with the target, and by 20:15, the all-clear was issued, allowing all aircraft to return to their home bases.

As of 23:00, the exact location of the object's crash site is unknown. Searches are planned for the morning of Friday, 18 October.

Wreckage from a Russian Shahed loitering munition was recently discovered in the Romanian community opposite Ukraine's Izmail on the Danube. The Romanian Ministry of Defence has condemned the Russian drone attacks occurring near the Romanian border.

On 29 September, NATO began additional surveillance of Romanian airspace by deploying another Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.

In early October, an air-raid warning was issued and fighter jets took off in the Romanian area that borders Ukraine over the Danube due to a Russian drone attack on the southern part of Odesa Oblast.