Romania scrambles F-16s to intercept Russian drone over national airspace
Photo: Romania intercepts Russian drone (Getty Images)
The Romanian Air Force intercepted a Russian drone in the country's national airspace. Two F-16 fighter jets escorted the drone for roughly 20 kilometers, Antena 3 CNN reports.
The Romanian Air Force intercepted the drone over national airspace.
According to reports, two F-16 fighter jets from the 86th Air Base, Lieutenant Aviator Gheorghe Mociorniță (Fetești or Borcea Air Base), took off on Saturday, September 13, at 6:05 PM local time. They were deployed to monitor the air situation along the border with Ukraine, following Russian air attacks on infrastructure along the Danube.
At 6:12 PM local time, authorities sent a RO-Alert notification to residents in the northern part of Tulcea County. By 6:23 PM, the F-16s located the drone in national airspace. They tracked it for approximately 20 kilometers southwest of Chilia Veche, where it disappeared from radar.
According to the report, the drone did not fly over populated areas and did not pose an immediate threat to public safety.
Officials from the Ministry of Defense urged citizens to follow safety measures communicated in the RO-Alert message:
- Do not panic.
- Call 112 if you believe it is necessary.
Earlier, on the evening of September 13, Romania and Poland declared air alerts due to the threat of Russian strike drones.
Russian drones enter the airspace of both NATO countries
On the evening of September 13, Romania and Poland declared air alerts due to the threat of Russian attack drones. The unmanned aircraft entered the airspace of both NATO countries.
On the night of September 10, during a massive Russian attack on Ukraine, about 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace. Polish air defense managed to shoot down only four of the drones.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called the Alliance's response to the incident in Poland "very successful." He emphasized that the previous night demonstrated NATO’s readiness to defend every inch of its territory, including its airspace.
According to the latest information, fragments of 16 Russian drones that entered Poland during the attack have been found. One drone fell on the territory of a military base.
