Romanian f‑16s scramble as Russian drone breaches NATO airspace

During a night attack by Russia on Ukraine, a Russian drone entered the airspace of a NATO country, Romania. Two F-16 aircraft were scrambled to monitor the further flight of the UAV. The search for the drone's debris is ongoing.

As announced by the Romanian Ministry of National Defence (MApN) on Sunday morning, on the night of 7-8 September, the "radar observation system identified and tracked the drone's route, which entered national airspace and then left the country's territory towards Ukraine".

Two Romanian F-16s from the Borcea base were scrambled to monitor the flight of the Russian unmanned aerial vehicle.

According to the Romanian ministry, in an uninhabited area near the town of Periprava, there was a "probable existence of an impact zone", meaning that fragments of the Russian drone could have fallen there.

Search and investigative activities are ongoing. The ministry noted that allied structures were continuously informed about the situation.

According to earlier media reports, residents of regions bordering Ukraine, in the Tulcea and Constanța counties, received Ro-Alert phone alerts during the night, warning of a possible air threat and calling to take shelter.

In July, the Romanian Ministry of Defence confirmed the discovery of debris from a Russian Geran 1/2 (Shahed) drone found near the village of Plauru, close to the border with Ukraine.

It was noted that the debris was found in one of three designated locations, and all risk areas are outside inhabited regions.