Romanian fighter jets respond to mysterious aerial incursions
Since Thursday, the Romanian Ministry of Defence has reported twice the presence of a "small flying object" entering the country's airspace over the Black Sea. Four fighter jets were dispatched from Romanian bases in response.
19 October 2024 12:01
On Friday night, military radar systems detected a small aerial object located roughly 28 miles east of Sfantu Gheorghe in Tulcea County.
"To monitor the situation, an F-18 from the Spanish Air Force was deployed from the 57th Air Base Mihail Kogalniceanu, followed by two F-16 aircraft from the Romanian Air Force at the 86th Air Base Borcea," stated the Romanian Ministry of Defence.
The aircraft tracked the object on radar; however, no visual contact was established. After about half an hour, around 3.30 a.m. GMT, the radar system lost the signal south of the town of Cogealac.
"The object penetrated Romanian airspace to a depth of 12 miles," added the statement.
Warning for residents
According to the Ministry of Defence, no data regarding potential impact zones or threats within Romania existed at the time of issuing the statement.
Nevertheless, a warning for residents was issued via the Ro-Alert system in the affected region.
Previous incident
A similar situation occurred on Thursday. Over the Black Sea, Romanian radar systems registered a "small flying object" that entered the country's airspace to a depth of 9 miles.
Fighter jets were scrambled in accordance with NATO air policing protocol and subsequently under national command.
