Less than 48 hours after the most recent incident, once again the Romanian Army was forced to scramble 4 fighter jets because a „small-sized airborne target” penetrated Romania’s airspace.
The object was initially detected above the Black Sea and flew approximately 19 kilometers above Romania.
The airborne target entered Romanian territory in the Gura Portiței area towards the Cogeleac locality.
Similar to the Thursday evening incident, the target disappeared from radar before it could be identified by the fighter jets.
"On Saturday, October 19, around 2:30 a.m., the radar surveillance system of the Romanian Army indicated a small-sized airborne target in an area off the Black Sea, approximately 45 km east of the Sfântu Gheorghe locality, Tulcea county.
Due to the fact that the detected target was heading towards Romania's state border, the structures within the Extended Air Policing Service under NATO command were activated according to procedures, and subsequently, National Air Policing," as reported by Ministry of defence.
Specifically, two F-18 aircraft from the Spanish Air Force stationed at the Mihail Kogălniceanu 57th Air Base and two F-16 aircraft from the Romanian Air Force stationed at the Borcea 86th Air Base were scrambled.
"The radar signal indicated the crossing of Romania's land border around 4:00 a.m. in the Gura Portiței area, at which time the National Military Command Center (core) notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations to implement alert measures for the population in the northeastern area of Constanța county.
The air surveillance radars continuously tracked the target's trajectory, which evolved towards the Cogealac locality, Constanța county, with the maximum penetration depth into national territory being 19 km.
The fighter jets did not establish visual contact with it at any point along its trajectory.
The radar signal was lost south of the Cogealac locality around 4:30 a.m.
The end of the aerial alert was communicated around 5:10 a.m., and the fighter jets returned to their deployment bases."
Romania promptly informed NATO about this new incident.
Based on the current information available, the Ministry of Defense does not believe that the respective object fell on Romanian territory; however, military personnel will investigate the area.
Last night, there were no reported Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports neighboring Romania, and similar to Thursday, the target's trajectory is different from the one described by drones straying from Ukraine, as the trajectory seems to have directly targeted Romanian territory.
Was it or wasn't it a drone?
Recall that on Thursday evening, there was another security alert in Romania, with the danger also coming from the Black Sea. Residents of Constanța received a Ro Alert message warning about the possibility of objects falling from airspace. According to the Ministry of Defense, it was about an object that entered national territory over a maximum distance of 14 km, around Eforie Nord.
At that time, the target was continuously monitored, and all four military aircraft were scrambled, but it disappeared from radars without being seen by pilots.
Similarly to Thursday, the Army refers on Saturday to "a small-sized target," suggesting an observation drone, not an attack drone, although their sizes are comparable to those of a Shahed kamikaze drone. If the wreckage is not recovered, we cannot know what it was.
PM Marcel Ciolacu was asked on Friday what measures can be taken in the case of drones flying over Romania's airspace, as this is not the first time it has happened.
The Prime Minister hinted that the "small-sized target" may not have even existed. More precisely, it may not have been a drone but a cybernetic provocation, as "the pilots did not establish visual contact." In other words, they didn't see it, even though MApN claimed a day earlier that "the target was continuously monitored."
Last month, in the context of Russian drones freely entering Romania, President Klaus Iohannis convened a meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defense. At the end of the meeting, the Presidential Administration issued a vague statement, from which we vaguely learn what was discussed, without presenting any concrete measures regarding Romania's security or a response to possible new Russian incursions into our country.