Unmanned aerial vehicle violates Romanian airspace

According to the Romanian Ministry of Defense, an unmanned aerial vehicle violated the country's airspace.

On Thursday, August 20, at 02:23, a military radar system detected a group of aerial targets in the area adjacent to the Ukrainian border, north of Tulcea County.

In order to monitor the situation, two F-18 fighter jets of the Spanish Air and Space Force took off. A Romanian Air Force IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter also took off for an aerial reconnaissance mission.

The National Military Command Center informed the General Inspectorate of Emergencies about the activation of warning measures for the population in the affected area. The corresponding alert message was sent to the population at 03:20.

At 03:21, the drone entered Romanian national airspace, approximately 13 kilometers east of the city of Galati.

At 03:24, the crew of the IAR-330 SOCAT reported that the target had crashed in uninhabited territory, approximately 4 kilometers northeast of the village of Grindu, in Tulcea County.

The drone caught fire when it hit the ground, but the fire extinguished itself. No one was injured and no material damage was reported.

A military search team is on its way to the scene to secure the area.

The air alert ended at 03:52.