Spain faces from Romania NATO's fight against drone attacks: "The system must be rethought and updated"
The Spanish Army is working from the Mihail Kogalniceanu base to halt the unstoppable advance of Russian air incursions into allied territory.
Spain faces NATO's struggle against drone attacks from Romania: "The system must be rethought and updated"
At 3:45 in the early hours, the loudspeakers at Romania's 57 Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase began blasting the words "alpha scramble, alpha scramble." Seven Spanish military personnel on duty awoke groggily, but they knew exactly what they had to do: arm themselves, launch two F-18 fighter jets in under 15 minutes, and head to the Ukrainian border to neutralize a potential aerial threat.
Their target was a Russian drone that had crossed into allied territory, which was ultimately shot down around 5 in the early hours. This marked the first time NATO had eliminated one of these devices, and it was achieved by a 27-year-old Spanish pilot. "It is undoubtedly a source of pride," said Lieutenant Colonel Alberto Borja Calvo, the commander of the Spanish Air and Space Police detachment stationed in Romania's Advanced Air Policing mission, with a serious expression.
Written by urgent.news from El Pais's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
