Romanian defence ministry: Two F-16s scrambled over aerial target near Sulina

Two Romanian F-16 fighters took off from the 86th Borcea Air Base on the morning of 6 November 2026 after radar detected an aerial target east of Sulina. Romania’s Ministry of National Defence announced this in a Facebook post reported by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). According to the ministry, the target was heading towards Vylkove, Ukraine, and no entry into Romanian airspace was recorded. The information is based on a single official statement relayed by the agency. At the time of publication, Flank had found no independent confirmation of the detection or the direction of travel.

Second warning for Tulcea in less than 12 hours

According to BTA, at 08:56 local and Bulgarian time, residents in the north-eastern part of Tulcea County received a message through the RO-Alert system warning of a possible drone incursion. The agency said this was the second warning for the county’s population in less than 12 hours.

According to the ministry’s statement, quoted by BTA, the alert was lifted at around 09:27 after no incursion was recorded. The timeline remains unclear: the agency put the duration of the alert at around 20 minutes, whereas approximately 31 minutes elapsed between the warning and its cancellation. It was not specified whether these times referred to different stages of the warning.

Drone warning does not establish the type of target

The official statement relayed by BTA describes the object as an aerial target. The warning of a possible drone incursion does not in itself establish that the detected object was an unmanned aircraft. Its type, origin and affiliation remain unclear. Its direction of travel towards Vylkove likewise does not establish where the object came from or who was operating it.

The statement provides no information on visual identification, direct interception by the F-16s or the use of weapons. Scrambling fighters on quick reaction alert and warning the population are protective measures in response to a potential risk near the border, not evidence of an attack on Romania. According to BTA, no entry into Romanian airspace was recorded.