Press Release

 

On Thursday, October 17th, around 5:00 p.m., the Romanian Armed Forces’ radar surveillance system indicated a small aerial target in the Black Sea area, approximately 150 km East of Mihail Kogălniceanu, Constanța County.  

According to the procedures in force, the structures performing NATO-led enhanced Air Policing Combat Service, and afterwards, the ones conducting Air Policing missions domestically, were activated.

As a result of the evolution of the aerial target on a route towards the Romanian state border, two Spanish Air Force F-18 aircraft, from the 57th Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, and two Romanian Air Force F-16 aircraft, from the 86th Borcea Air Base, took off to monitor the situation.

The radar signal indicated the crossing of the land border of Romania at around 19.00, in the area of ​​the Eforie Nord town, later evolving towards Topraisar.

Air surveillance radars continuously tracked the target's path, which deeply penetrated into the national territory for 14 km at most. The fighter aircraft did not achieve visual contact with the target at any point on the track.

The surveillance system lost the radar signal east of Amzacea town, around 19.20.

The termination of the air alert was transmitted at 20:15 p.m., and the fighters returned to their deployment bases.

From the data available at this moment, the probability of the existence of an impact zone on the national territory has not been indicated. The Ministry of National Defence forces will conduct investigations in the area during the morning.

 

MoND informed in real time the allied structures about this situation, maintaining permanent contact with them.

 

The Press Office