Romanian F-16s scrambled after aerial target detected 25 km east of Sulina

On 10 November 2026, the Romanian Ministry of National Defence's radar system detected an aerial target about 25 kilometres east of Sulina. Two Romanian Air Force F-16s on air policing duty took off from the 86th Air Base at Fetești. The ministry announced this on X.

The National Military Command Centre notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations so that residents of eastern Tulcea County could be warned. A RO-Alert message was sent at 17:31. The ministry said it would release further information as the situation develops.

Type and origin of the target not specified

The ministry did not say what the object was, where it came from or whether it entered Romanian airspace. Sulina lies on the Black Sea coast, so the stated position about 25 km to the east is over the sea. The Romanian radio station Europa FM called the target a drone in its headline, but its text, like the ministry's statement, refers only to an “aerial target”.

The fighters' take-off and the public warning do not in themselves prove an incursion into Romanian airspace or an engagement of the target. The ministry did not report any casualties or damage.

A third day of alerts in Tulcea County

The detection is the latest in the area in recent days. On 8 November, two Romanian F-16s took off from Fetești after an aerial target was detected near the border, while Spanish F-18s and NH-90 helicopters monitored the area near Snake Island. On 9 November, the ministry reported a target about 30 km north-east of Sulina, in Ukrainian airspace, and a RO-Alert for eastern Tulcea County was sent at 17:19. No link between the separate detections has been established.