Turkish F-16s Scrambled Over Attack on Ukrainian Danube Ports

11 February, 2024 Illustrative photo of the Turkish F-16C. Photo from open sources. F-16 fighter jets of the Turkish Air Force, participating in the NATO mission in Romania, took to the air during the Russian attack on Ukraine's port infrastructure on the Danube on the night of February 9-10.

This information was provided by the Ministry of National Defense of Romania. "The Ministry of National Defense monitored the situation in the border area and activated Air Police procedures, notifying the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations at 00:26 of areas in Tulcea that could be affected by the risks associated with this situation, and later, at 00:48 for Reni," the statement said. At about 01:15, F-16 fighter jets of the Turkish Air Force took off from the 86th air base in Fetesti to monitor the airspace.

Illustrative photo of a Turkish F-16.

Photo from open sources.

In addition, two F-16 fighter jets of the Romanian Air Force were on standby for departure. No violations of Romanian airspace were reported during the attacks. The Ministry of National Defense of Romania strongly condemns the attacks carried out by Russia on civilian infrastructure in Ukrainian Danube ports.

"These attacks are unjustified and seriously contradict the norms of international humanitarian law," the Ministry of National Defense of Romania emphasizes. In December 2023, Militarnyi reported that a Russian drone crashed on the territory of Romania.

Illustrative photo of a Turkish F-16. Photo from open sources.

At that time, F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force from the 86th air base in Fetesti and Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft of the German Air Force from the 57th Air Base Mihail Kogalniceanu were monitoring the national airspace.

The Romanian Armed Forces' surveillance radar indicated a potential unauthorized violation of national airspace by detecting a low-altitude signal on one of the routes leading to the Grindu commune of Tulcea County.

Based on this information, mixed teams from the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Internal Affairs went to the area and reported in the morning that a 1.5-meter-deep crater had formed as a result of the drone crash.