Romanian radar spots two drones, launches air alerts in Tulcea and Galați
Romanian air defenses detected two unmanned aerial vehicles over national airspace and scrambled two Spanish F-18 fighters, issuing RO-Alert warnings for Tulcea and Galați.
On Wednesday evening, Romania’s defence radar picked up a pair of aerial targets off the Black Sea coast. Two F-18 aircraft from the Spanish Air Force, stationed at Base 57 Mihail Kogălniceanu, were dispatched to intercept the objects. The National Military Command Center informed the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, leading to a RO-Alert for Tulcea at 20:02.
By 20:04, the drones entered Romanian airspace; one lost radar contact over the sea, while the second moved toward the Ukrainian border, prompting a second alert for Galați at 20:33. The Ukrainian air defence later destroyed the remaining drone near Reni, and the alerts were lifted at 21:14.
Why it matters
The incident shows how quickly regional airspace violations can trigger coordinated military and civil responses.
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