Romania's Defence Ministry scrambled fighter jets twice overnight to intercept drones near the nation's borders, as concerns over a wider conflict continue to mount. The NATO member detected a cluster of aerial targets close to Serpents Island and a drone above Romanian territorial waters.
Overnight Interception Mission
According to the Defence Ministry, the radar surveillance system detected a group of air targets near Serpents Island on the night of October 14 to 15. Two F-18 aircraft of the Spanish Air and Space Forces, in the Reinforced Air Police combat service, took off from the 57th Mihail Kogalniceani Aor base.
At 1.34am, a drone was identified for approximately one minute in national airspace, southeast of Sulina, above Romanian territorial waters, before vanishing from radar.
Second Scramble and Alert
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said that after other air targets were reported approximately 77km east of Snake Island, two Romanian Air Force F-16 aircraft from the 86th Air Base in Fetesti were scrambled. The National Military Command Center notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations to institute measures to alert the population north and east of Tulcea County, and at 4.57am an RO-Alert message was sent.
No further reported breaches into the national airspace occurred, and the alert was lifted at 5.46am.
