German and Romanian fighter jets were launched during the night of November 18–19 after Romanian air-defense radars detected a Russian drone crossing into national airspace. The Romanian Ministry of Defense confirmed the incident, which unfolded in multiple phases along the country’s eastern border.
The alert began around 12:20 a.m., when radar operators tracked an unidentified drone penetrating roughly 8 kilometers into Romanian territory over northern Tulcea County. In response, two German Eurofighter Typhoons stationed at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base took off under NATO’s air-policing mission. The aircraft moved to secure the Danube region, a sensitive area close to the Ukrainian border where Russian drones have repeatedly strayed during cross-border attacks.
Twelve minutes after the first intercept attempt, the drone appeared again on Romanian sensors. This time it approached from Moldova’s Colibași area, passed toward the Romanian village of Folești and later moved near Oancea in Galați County. The renewed track prompted the Romanian Air Force to dispatch two F-16s from the Câmpia Turzii air base to reinforce the patrol and tighten airspace coverage in the east.
The German Typhoons concluded their mission at 1:50 a.m., while the Romanian F-16s returned to base around 2:30. Defense officials stated that no drone debris or aircraft fragments were found on Romanian soil, but search teams remained on standby should evidence emerge later.
The latest violation follows several similar incursions linked to Russia’s ongoing strikes on Ukraine. Earlier this year, a Russian Shahed drone detonated near the Romanian village of Plauru, and another crossed into Tulcea County during a January 17 attack.
These repeated incidents continue to place pressure on NATO air defenses along the alliance’s eastern flank as Russian drones stray toward or into neighboring territory during cross-border strikes.
関連コンテンツ How Russian drone incursions are strengthening Ukraine’s position
Post Image – A German Air Force Typhoon fighter jet with a Litening 5 targeting pod (Post Image Credit: Rafael)
Follow C-UAS Hub on LinkedIn for regular counter-UAS content updates.
