Drone Falls in Moldova After Entering Romanian Airspace, F-18s Scrambled
A drone that entered Moldova from the direction of Ukraine later crossed into Romanian airspace before returning to Moldova, where it crashed in a field, while two Spanish F-18 fighter jets were scrambled to monitor the situation.
Drone crossed Moldova and Romania
According to Moldova’s Ministry of Defense, the unmanned aircraft entered Moldovan airspace from the direction of Ukraine at around 4:20 p.m. local time on September 8. Preliminary information indicated that it was a Shahed-type drone.
Moldovan air-defense systems tracked the aircraft as it moved across the country. It subsequently left Moldovan airspace toward Romania.
Romania’s Ministry of National Defence said its radar detected an aerial target west of Chișinău before it entered Romanian airspace at approximately 4:37 p.m., around 30 kilometers southeast of Iași.
Romania scrambled two F-18s
Two F-18 fighter aircraft operated by the Spanish Air and Space Force took off at 4:39 p.m. from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, where they were deployed as part of NATO’s enhanced air-policing mission.
Romanian authorities issued RO-Alert warnings in several counties as the aerial target moved over the country’s territory. The alerts covered Iași, Vaslui, Neamț, Suceava and Botoșani counties.
Romania temporarily monitored the target as it moved westward and then lost radar contact at 5:02 p.m. near the border between Iași and Botoșani counties.
Drone returned to Moldova and crashed
At 5:08 p.m., the aircraft was detected again in Moldovan airspace. Romanian authorities were subsequently informed that the drone had crashed near Mihăileni Vechi in Moldova’s Rîșcani district, about 25 kilometers east of the Romanian border.
The crash caused dry vegetation to catch fire. Moldovan authorities reported no casualties. Emergency services and police were sent to the site to investigate the incident and extinguish the fires.
Romania’s air alert ended at 5:33 p.m.
The incident comes amid repeated reports of Russian drones entering Moldovan airspace during attacks on Ukraine. Moldova has previously temporarily restricted parts of its airspace after such incursions.
