Romania scrambles aircraft because of Russian "small air target" violating airspace
Romanian forces scrambled their fighter jets on the night of 18-19 October because of a small Russian air target approaching Romania’s airspace and violating the border.
Source: Romanian Ministry of Defence on the morning of 19 October, as reported by European Pravda
Details: At around 02:30, a "small air target" was picked up on radar in the Black Sea area. Since it was moving towards the state border, it was decided to scramble the aircraft. Two Romanian F-16s and two Spanish F-18s took off.
"A radar signal indicated a violation of the Romanian state border at around 04:00 in the Gura Portiței area," the statement said. This is a long spit along the Black Sea coast north of the major port city of Constanța.
It was then recommended that the local authorities issue an air-raid warning.
"Air surveillance radar constantly tracked the route of the target, which was moving towards Cogealac in Constanța County, with a maximum penetration depth of 19 kilometres. The fighters did not visually observe it at any stage," the statement said.
The target disappeared from radar south of Cogealac at around 04:30. The all-clear was given at 05:10.
The Ministry of Defence is this morning organising a survey of the area where the target may have fallen.
Background:
- A similar incident occurred on the evening of 17 October. Then an unidentified target flew 14 kilometres inland and disappeared from radar near the village of Amzacea.
- NATO expressed its solidarity with Romania following the report. On 29 September, the North Atlantic Alliance began additional surveillance of Romanian airspace, deploying another Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.
- As is known, wreckage from attack drones used by Russia to attack Ukrainian ports on the Danube has been repeatedly found in the border area on the Romanian side of the river.
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