Lorraine Williamson
Spanish fighter crews stationed on NATO’s eastern flank were called into action in the early hours of Thursday after Romanian radar detected a group of aerial targets near the Ukrainian border. The alert triggered a rapid response from the Paznic detachment based at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base.
Two Spanish F-18 fighter jets deployed on NATO’s eastern flank were activated in the early hours of Thursday after Romanian radar detected a group of aerial targets close to the country’s border with Ukraine.
The aircraft, operated by Spain’s Air and Space Force, took off from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base in Romania as part of NATO’s enhanced air-policing mission. The alert began at around 4.41 am local time after targets were detected north of Chilia Veche, on the Ukrainian side of the border.
Romanian authorities also issued a RO-Alert warning to residents in the north of Tulcea county. The initial air alert ended shortly after 5.44 am.
Drone entered Romanian airspace for four minutes
Romania’s Defence Ministry subsequently updated its account of the incident, confirming that an aerial target had entered Romanian national airspace for approximately four minutes.
The target eventually crashed close to Solca, in Suceava county, without causing casualties or material damage. The Spanish F-18s had been mobilised as Romanian authorities monitored drone activity associated with overnight Russian attacks against Ukraine close to NATO territory.
The incident adds to a growing series of alerts involving drones close to Romania’s border with Ukraine. Spanish forces deployed in the country have already responded repeatedly to aerial warnings during August and September.
Spain has seven F-18s deployed in Romania
Spain currently has almost 200 Air and Space Force personnel serving with the Paznic Tactical Air Detachment at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base. The contingent operates seven F-18 fighter jets from Ala 12 as well as an A400M aircraft from Ala 31 for air-to-air refuelling.
Their role is to reinforce NATO’s air policing on its eastern flank, providing fighter aircraft capable of responding around the clock to potential threats. Spain also operates a surveillance radar in Romania and has another contingent of around 200 Spanish Marines serving with the French-led NATO multinational battlegroup.
The deployment has taken on increased significance as drone activity connected with the war in neighbouring Ukraine has repeatedly approached or crossed NATO airspace.
Spain’s monitoring of Russian military activity is not limited to the skies over NATO’s eastern flank. Earlier this year, Spanish Navy vessels tracked Russian warships as they passed through the Strait of Gibraltar and later continued past Galicia towards French waters.
Spanish F-18s previously shot down drone
Thursday’s alert comes little more than a month after Spanish fighter jets were involved in a considerably more serious incident over Romania.
On 16 August, Spanish F-18s intercepted and destroyed a drone after it violated Romanian airspace. According to Spain’s Defence Ministry, it was the first time an allied country other than Romania itself had shot down a drone over Romanian territory.
Defence Minister Margarita Robles visited the Spanish contingent earlier this month, describing its work as an important contribution to collective defence and deterrence on NATO’s eastern flank.
Spanish forces remain on permanent alert in Romania as Russia’s war against Ukraine continues immediately beyond NATO’s eastern frontier. Thursday morning’s incident once again put Spanish fighter crews on alert in response to aerial activity spilling toward Alliance territory.