Russian Drone Violates Romanian Airspace; German and Romanian Jets Scrambled

German and Romanian fighter jets were scrambled to intercept Russian drones that entered Romanian territory.

The Romanian Ministry of Defense reported the incident.

The interception occurred during the night of November 18–19, when Romania’s air-defense forces detected a Russian drone violating the country’s airspace.

Around 00:20 a.m., two German Eurofighter Typhoon jets took off in the northern part of Tulcea County to intercept an unknown drone that had entered 8 kilometers into Romanian territory.

German fighter jets are stationed at the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base in Romania as part of a NATO mission to strengthen the air defense of Alliance member states.

The aircraft were scrambled to monitor the airspace in the Danube region near the Ukrainian border following the drone’s incursion.

Twelve minutes later, the drone reappeared on Romanian tracking stations’ radars. This time, it flew from Moldova, from the Colibași area, toward the Romanian village of Folești, and later near Oancea in Galați County.

Two additional Romanian Air Force F-16 fighter jets took off from the Câmpia Turzii air base to reinforce air security. They supplemented the German aircraft’s patrol and monitored the airspace in the eastern part of the country.

The German Eurofighters later returned to base at 01:50 a.m., and the Romanian F-16s landed at the Câmpia Turzii air base around 02:30.

The Ministry of Defense reported that no cases of drone or other aircraft debris falling on Romanian territory were recorded. At the same time, search units remain on high alert in case drone fragments are discovered.

Militarnyi previously reported that a Russian Shahed kamikaze drone exploded on Romanian territory near the village of Plauru.

During a combined missile strike on Ukraine on the morning of January 17, 2025, a Russian kamikaze drone violated Romania’s airspace at around 1:35 a.m. in Tulcea County, near the border with Ukraine.