During the night of 23–24 September 2026, two Spanish F-18 took off in Romania to assess the situation after air surveillance reported radar contacts from unmanned aerial vehicles near the Ukrainian border. Romanian authorities activated a warning in the northern county of Tulcea a RO-Alertwarning. According to the authorities, the alert phase began at 04:41 local time and ended at 05:44. No reports of damage or countermeasures have been made.
The two jets belong to the Spanish Destacamento Paznic at the air base in Mihail Kogălniceanu. The contingent is part of the NATOmission Enhanced Air Policing, which reinforces airspace protection on the Alliance’s eastern flank. As part of this mission, allies keep a quick-reaction alert force on constant standby to check, escort and, if necessary, identify reported contacts. According to Romanian military authorities, the alert was triggered by radar detections north of Chilia Veche over Ukrainian territory, very close to the border. No confirmed violation of Romanian airspace had been reported by the morning.
Romania’s Ministry of National Defence said the alert and the civil warning in Tulcea were issued as a precaution, to raise public awareness and maintain situational awareness. RO-Alert is the main tool for this, sending warnings to affected areas by mobile phone. Spanish forces supported local airspace surveillance in an observation role; the aim was to gather information and confirm the situation, not to intervene.
For several months, Spain has contributed F-18s, an A400M transport aircraft and personnel to NATO’s presence in Romania. Operating from Mihail Kogălniceanu allows for short response times in the approaches to the Danube Delta. The activation overnight highlights the well-established procedures between national airspace surveillance, NATO command centres and the allied contingents stationed in Romania. Romanian authorities had recorded similar radar contacts in the Black Sea region in recent weeks, explaining the consistent use of warning systems and quick-reaction alert forces.
The facts confirmed by the authorities are limited to the radar detections, the brief alert and the launch of two Spanish F-18s for surveillance. No official attribution has been made as to the origin or mission of the unmanned systems. Romanian authorities said they would continue surveillance and document incidents in their situational reports; NATO’s Enhanced Air Policing mission ensures the Alliance can respond in a coordinated way.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).