Unidentified aircraft violate Romanian airspace
The Romanian Ministry of Defense reported a new violation of the country's airspace on the evening of Wednesday, October 23rd, when military radar systems detected two unidentified aircraft near the border with Ukraine, in the area of the Chilia Arm, Tulcea County.
According to the official statement, the first aircraft was detected at approximately 20:45 near the town of Chilia Veche. Following standard procedures, fighter units within the Air Police Service were alerted, and the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations was notified to initiate alert procedures for residents of Tulcea County.
Two F-16 fighter jets from the 86th Air Base Borcea were scrambled to monitor the situation. Radar followed the first aircraft until 21:00, when contact was lost 12 km northeast of the city of Tulcea.
A second unidentified aircraft was detected at 21:20 near Razim Lake, heading towards the town of Mihai Viteazu, Constanța County, and then towards Jurilovca, Tulcea County, where contact was lost at 21:40, 9 km northwest of the town.
Despite being scrambled to intercept, the F-16s did not make visual contact with the unidentified aircraft. The air alerts were lifted at 22:16, and the fighter jets returned to base.
The Ministry of Defense stated that there were no indications of an impact zone within Romanian territory. Investigations will begin on the morning of October 24th in the two areas where radar contact was lost, and the available data will be analysed to determine the exact circumstances of this incident.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
