Romania scrambles F-16s after drone spotted in airspace
The country’s air defense systems were on high alert (Photo: Getty Images)
On Tuesday evening, March 17, Romania’s Ministry of Defense surveillance systems detected signals from a drone. This occurred near the country’s national airspace, in the northern part of Tulcea County, according to Agerpress.
In a press release from the Ministry of Defense sent to Agerpress, it was stated that the target was detected approximately 20 km north of the town of Valcove.
In response, the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations activated the RO-ALERT system at 19:17 to warn the population in the northern part of Tulcea County.
To monitor the situation, at 19:22 two F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force took off from the 86th Air Base in Fetești.
"Air defense systems are on high alert and ready to respond depending on how the situation develops," the Ministry of Defense said.
Drone attacks
On the evening of February 25, Russian units once again attempted to attack the Odesa region. During this attack, one drone entered Romanian territory, prompting the NATO member country to scramble F-16 fighter jets.
It was also reported that on Sunday, December 21, 2025, a large drone with an attached parachute was detected in Argeș County.
Incidentally, in October, Romanian Foreign Minister Raluca Turcan stated that her country hopes to quickly establish domestic drone production in collaboration with Ukraine to help defend NATO.
