In brief

• Romania scrambled two Spanish F-18 fighters after radar detected an aerial target about 30 km east of Snake Island on 8 November.
• A second airborne object was later detected about 55 km west of Snake Island, and two NH-90 helicopters were dispatched.
• Residents of eastern Tulcea county received an alert; the origin and type of the objects remain unidentified.

Radar contact and jets scrambled

Romania's Ministry of National Defence said its radar systems detected an aerial target on Sunday, 8 November, roughly 30 kilometres east of Snake Island, in Ukrainian airspace. In response, two F-18 fighters of the Spanish Air Force, deployed on patrol and air-policing duties from the Mihail Kogălniceanu air base, were launched to track it. (Біля острова Зміїний помітили підозрілі об'єкти: Румунія терміново підняла винищувачі – TSN) (Румунія підіймала винищувачі й оголошувала про небезпеку через повітряну ціль – Європейська правда)

Warning to the public

The military informed the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations. At 14:02 local time, residents of the eastern part of Tulcea county received an alert through the RO-Alert system.

Second object detected

The ministry later said the first target had disappeared from radar east of the town of Sulina. Shortly afterwards, surveillance systems picked up another airborne object about 55 kilometres west of Snake Island. Two Spanish Armed Forces NH-90 helicopters were then sent up from the same base.

Origin and status unclear

The ministry has not yet identified the origin or type of the detected objects, and it has not said whether they entered Romanian airspace. Military officials promised to release more information as it becomes available.

Context: recent drone incidents

The alert follows earlier incidents in Romania. On the evening of 31 October, radar systems recorded two unmanned aerial vehicles that entered the country's airspace without permission. On 5 November, fragments of a drone were found in the commune of Bogdănești over an area of about 200–300 metres.

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