German Eurofighter Typhoons and Romanian Air Force F-16s have been scrambled in separate incidents on March 13, 2026, after air defense systems were put on alert in Romania.
The Ministry of National Defense said that in the first incident, at around 10:00 local time, radar systems detected aerial targets north of Tulcea County in the east of Romania.
Two F-16 aircraft from the 86th Borcea Air Base took off to survey and monitor the airspace and a warning message was issued to civilians in the area through the RO-ALERT system.
According to a statement from the Ministry of National Defense, data suggested that possible drone debris may have also fallen on Romanian territory, in the Chilia Veche region.
Shortly before midday, radar systems were once again alerted after drones in the immediate vicinity of Romanian airspace were detected.
At around 11:55, two German Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft were deployed from the 57th Air Base, located in Mihail Kogălniceanu. A second RO-Alert message was sent to the population in the Danube Delta area.
The Ministry of National Defense has said that the air alert ceased at 12:50, around an hour after Eurofighters were deployed.
“Currently, search teams are operating in the field to identify possible unmanned aircraft elements in the targeted areas,” a Ministry of National Defense spokesperson said.
They added: “The Ministry of National Defense permanently monitors airspace, in close cooperation with NATO allies, to ensure the security and territorial integrity of Romania.”
