BREAKING Romanian F-16s deployed after RO-Alert warns of potential drone threat in Constanța

A RO-Alert message was issued in Constanța on Thursday evening regarding the potential fall of drones. Residents were advised to seek shelter in basements or civil protection shelters; those without access to such facilities were instructed to stay indoors, away from outer walls and windows. The Ministry of Defense dispatched two F-16 fighter jets to monitor the situation. Three emergency calls were registered on the 112 hotline.

Update 21:10 The Ministry of Defense reported in a statement Thursday evening that the Romanian Army’s radar surveillance system detected a drone over the Black Sea, approximately 150 kilometers east of Mihail Kogălniceanu, where a U.S. airbase is located (Constanța County).

Following established protocols, units within the NATO-commanded Enhanced Air Policing Service were activated, followed by nationally-commanded Air Police units. Additionally, two Spanish Air Force F-18s from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base and two Romanian Air Force F-16s from Borcea Air Base were scrambled sequentially.

The drone entered Romanian territory around 19:00 near Eforie Nord, advancing towards Topraisar in the county’s southern region.

“Aerial surveillance radars continuously tracked the target’s route as it penetrated up to 14 kilometers inland. The fighter jets did not visually contact the drone at any point along its trajectory. The surveillance system lost radar contact east of Amzacea around 19:20. The air alert ended at 20:15, and the fighter jets returned to their bases,” the Ministry of Defense statement said. [Read the full statement here].

Update 21:06 Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stated on România TV Thursday evening that „there was no danger.”

„I spoke with Mr. Raed Arafat (head of Romania’s Department for Emergency Situations). These procedures function independently of the Prime Minister’s order. There was no danger. However, standard protocols require this kind of alert in Constanța. Aircraft were deployed, and everything is under control. If a drone is heading towards a civilian or military target, it will be shot down. I can’t reveal all the details. This evening, the F-16 and F-18 jets were scrambled as soon as the drone entered territorial waters,” the Prime Minister explained.

Initial Report

However, not all residents received the alert; some G4Media readers reported cases where, within the same building or on the same street, some people received the RO-Alert message while others did not, even though they had the alert system activated.

The warning was sent to residents along the coast, including those in the county seat and nearby resorts. It was the first time a drone-related RO-Alert was issued in Constanța in the evening; previously, such alerts were sent in the morning.

This was also the first alert limited to Constanța and not extended to Tulcea County, which borders Ukraine, or the coastal areas.

Over the past two years, residents in Tulcea have received multiple RO-Alerts warning about potential drone debris due to the conflict in Ukraine across the Danube. However, this was a first for Constanța’s residents, who received a similar alert in early September.

An Info Sud-Est analysis at the end of 2022 indicated that fewer than 3% of Romanians would have access to civil protection shelters in an emergency, based on information from all county emergency inspectorates. Additionally, data gathered from municipalities showed that, on average, only 4.8% of residents in county seats across Romania would find shelter in refuges. In Constanța and Tulcea, only about 3-4% of the population could be accommodated in such shelters. [Read the full analysis here].

Recent Alert History

The most recent incidents where residents were alerted to potential drone debris on Romanian territory occurred at the end of July, with two alerts issued within 24 hours as Russia attacked Ukraine with 38 Shahed-131/136 attack drones, targeting infrastructure in multiple areas, and again at the end of August. In both instances, as in others, the Ministry of Defense scrambled two F-16s from Borcea Air Base to monitor the air situation.

Previously, residents in northern Tulcea County had also been alerted through RO-Alert regarding various fragments that might fall on border communities.

In March 2024, the Ministry of Defense confirmed in a statement that „elements of a possible drone were identified on Insula Mare a Brăilei (a large island on the Danube).” The local publication DeBraila.ro reported that fragments fell just 8 kilometers from Brăila city.

Similarly, in February 2024, multiple RO-Alert messages were sent to residents in Tulcea and Galați counties following new Russian drone attacks on Ukrainian Danube ports at Reni and Ismail, located very close to Romanian localities.

In December 2023, a Russian drone fell on Romanian territory, and NATO stated there was no reason for concern or to believe Romania was intentionally targeted. At that time, a drone fell 4 kilometers from the Tulcea locality of Grindu, creating a crater about 1.5 meters deep. Details here.

Another drone fell near Plauru in October 2023. The Ministry of Defense noted that field teams reported discovering a drone crater with a possible explosion upon impact in a vegetated area near the right bank of the Chilia Arm, about 3 kilometers west of Plauru.