Drones near Ukrainian border prompt Romania to scramble two Spanish F-18s

Two Spanish F-18 fighters took off from Romania’s 57th Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base on the night of 2–3 November 2026 after radar detected two aerial targets over Ukrainian territory near Izmail and Kiliia. Romania’s Ministry of National Defence announced this in a statement quoted by Digi24 and BTA. Information about the operation comes from the official statement; Flank had found no independent confirmation of the operational details at the time of publication.

Warning in Tulcea, with no reported incursion

According to the ministry, the two Spanish aircraft were on air policing alert duty. Romania’s National Military Command Centre notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations of the need to warn residents in northern Tulcea County.

The RO-ALERT message was sent at 23:43 on 2 November, and the air raid alert was lifted at 00:21 on 3 November. These are local times, which are the same as Bulgarian time. The interval between the warning and the all-clear was 38 minutes — this was not the fighters’ response time, as their exact take-off time was not disclosed.

In its statement, the ministry specified that no reports of violations of Romanian airspace had been received.

It is unclear whether the radar targets were drones

According to a Romanian statement quoted by Digi24, Ukraine’s Air Operations Centre confirmed that several unmanned aircraft were in the area, including near Vylkove. However, it has not been established whether the two targets detected by radar were among them.

The type, origin and operator of the targets remain unclear. The scramble should therefore not be presented as a confirmed combat engagement. Further information on the incident may follow.

Alert aircraft and public warning activated over aerial activity near the border

The key point in this case is the simultaneous activation of alert aircraft and a public warning in response to aerial activity immediately across the border. According to the official statement, these measures were taken without any reported entry into Romania.

The Spanish F-18s provide an allied contribution to policing Romanian skies, while the warning was activated through Romania’s military and civilian structures. For Bulgaria, the significance is regional — it concerns coordination between surveillance, alert aircraft and civil protection in the Danube–Black Sea region.