Romania deploys F-16s after drones detected over Black Sea

Romania has dispatched two F-16 fighter jets following the detection of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) near its airspace over the Black Sea, reportedly heading toward Ukrainian territory.

The National Military Command Centre raised an alert in the northern region of Tulcea County at 11:34 PM local time, the Romanian Defence Ministry said, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

In response to the situation, two F-16s from the Romanian Air Force, which were on standby for air policing duties, took off from the 86th Air Base in Borca to monitor the airspace.

The air alert was lifted around 12:45 AM local time, allowing the F-16 aircraft to return to base. The Romanian Defence Ministry stated that the country’s radar surveillance system did not detect any incursions into national airspace by aircraft involved in attacks on Ukrainian targets.

Beginning the morning of November 4, the Defence Ministry will carry out search operations on national territory near the sites of the attacks to locate any downed UAVs or their debris. The ministry is maintaining real-time communication with allied structures regarding developments related to these incidents.

By Vafa Guliyeva