The Ministry of National Defense of Romania reported that the aerial surveillance system of the Romanian Air Force detected a small aerial target in its airspace.
The target was discovered around 12:30 p.m., its characteristics resembled a weather probe balloon.
The authorities applied all standard procedures from the moment the object was detected — under the command of NATO, two MiG-21 LanceR aircraft of the Romanian Air Force from the Combat Service of the Air Police took off from the 86th Feteşti Air Base around 12:40. They were sent to the area where the target was found.
The crews of both MiG-21s did not confirm the presence of an air target either visually or on the onboard radars. The planes stayed in this area for about 30 minutes to fully clarify the air situation, after which they returned to the air base.
- Moldova closed its airspace at that time. The countryʼs Civil Aviation Authority reported that the space was closed from 11:24 a.m. to 2:47 p.m. The decision was explained by security considerations.