Romania issues air alert in Tulcea after targets spotted over Ukraine
Two Spanish F-18s scrambled overnight after radar detected two air targets in Ukrainian airspace near the border; no incursion into Romania was found.
Romania's defence ministry issued an air alert for parts of Tulcea county overnight from Monday to Tuesday after radar detected two air targets in Ukrainian airspace near the border, Mediafax reported. Two Spanish F-18 fighter jets scrambled from the Mihail Kogălniceanu air base to monitor the situation, the ministry, known as MApN, said.
People in northern and eastern Tulcea county received an RO-Alert message at 02:20 local time, after the national military command centre notified the general inspectorate for emergency situations, MApN said. The alert was lifted at 03:14; no targets were found to have entered Romanian airspace, the ministry said.
The F-18s were on duty with NATO's enhanced air policing mission when they took off, MApN said.
What we know
- Romania's defence ministry issued an air alert for parts of Tulcea county overnight after radar detected two air targets in Ukrainian airspace near the border.
- Two Spanish F-18 jets scrambled from the Mihail Kogălniceanu air base to monitor the situation.
- Residents in northern and eastern Tulcea county received an RO-Alert message at 02:20 local time; the alert was lifted at 03:14.
- No targets were found to have entered Romanian airspace, MApN said.
Why it matters for Europe
Tulcea county lies on Romania's border with Ukraine, and the Spanish jets that scrambled were flying under NATO's enhanced air policing mission over allied territory close to the war. Romanian authorities routinely alert residents by RO-Alert message when radar detects air activity near the border, as happened here, even when, as on this occasion, no aircraft or drone is found to have entered national airspace.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 2 countries.
- Mediafax: Alertă aeriană în Tulcea, în noaptea de luni spre marți. MApN: Două F-18 spaniole au decolat de la Mihail Kogălniceanu
- Realitatea.md: Alertă aeriană în Tulcea. Două avioane spaniole F-18 au fost ridicate de la sol
- Adevărul: Două ținte aeriene, detectate în apropierea graniței cu România. Cetățenii din Tulcea au primit mesaje RO-Alert
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- What caused the air alert in Tulcea?
- Romania's radar detected two air targets in Ukrainian airspace near the border, prompting the alert, the defence ministry said.
- Did any aircraft enter Romanian airspace?
- No. The defence ministry said no targets were detected entering national airspace.
- Which jets responded?
- Two Spanish F-18s on NATO's enhanced air policing mission took off from the Mihail Kogălniceanu air base.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.