Romania dispatched four of its fighter jets early on October 19 after an unidentified object breached its airspace in the southeast near the Black Sea, the Defense Ministry said.
According to the ministry, the military radar systems detected a small flying object — likely a drone — headed for Tulcea County before losing the signal at around 2.30 a.m. local time, a second drone this week breaching Romania’s national airspace.
The army dispatched two F-16 fighter jets and two Spanish F-18s to monitor the object, the ministry said, adding that the pilots did not see the drone.
The previous incident was reported on October 17, when a small flying object was detected by army radars above the southeastern county of Constanta at around 5 p.m. local time.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on October 18 that his country was analyzing the possibility of a “cyber-challenge, because pilots did not have visual contact with the drone.”
In the past, Russian drones had entered Romania’s airspace as Moscow attacked Ukrainian targets along the Black Sea and Danube River.
Romania, a member of the European Union and NATO, shares a 650-kilometer border with Ukraine.
