Paznic F-18s take off to locate a possible Russian drone that flew into Romanian airspace

• Two Spanish fighter jets on duty at the Mikhail Kogalniceanu Air Base took part in a search operation for a Russian drone that flew over Romanian air space

During the afternoon of Thursday 17 October, Romanian early warning radars detected and identified a possible Russian unmanned aircraft flying over the Black Sea towards Romanian territory, which was considered to be a drone used as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform.

Given the drone's approach course into NATO airspace, the Combined Air Operations Centre at Torrejón (CAOC-TJ) ordered the Spanish F-18s of the ‘Paznic’ Detachment to scramble to establish a patrol over the Black Sea coast.

Subsequently, with the possible drone entering Romanian sovereign airspace, the aircraft were directed to the area where the drone was located for search and tracking. After completing their mission, the F-18s landed at Mikhail Kogalniceanu Air Base after being taken over by Romanian Air Force F-16s.

In addition to the fighter jets, the French Army's MAMBA anti-aircraft artillery battery and US maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), as well as helicopters based at Mikhail Kogalniceanu, have been involved in the search.

This mission is a clear example of Spain's unequivocal commitment to the allied countries, as well as the excellent integration of the respective air assets in order to exercise joint protection of NATO's eastern flank airspace.