In a particularly concerning development, 21 drone-swarms Gerbera unarmed drones breached into Poland. It appears to be a purposeful provocation by Russia. The situation got serious when a drone just crashed on a roof of an apartment in Cuhureştii de Jos. This village of 1,800 people is located just 15 miles from the Ukrainian border. It is this incident that has sent shockwaves and high-level alarms. It’s the third time in less than a week and the first to occur in broad daylight.
Romanian airspace has been violated by Russian drones 13 times, illustrating a disturbing pattern of aggression within the security landscape of the region. The Gerbera drones have a distinctive delta-wing shape marked with a Russian Z symbol. Reports have suggested that they are particularly used to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. These drones have been used as part of recent Ukrainian incursions into neighboring Russia and Belarus, escalating tensions in Eastern Europe even further.
The first Gerbera drone was detected at 6:28 AM local time (0428 GMT), followed by a second drone at 7:50 AM. The latter was eventually sunk in Puieşti, roughly 70 miles away from where it departed in Ukraine. To deter these threats, German Typhoon and Romanian F-16 fighter jets flew together in doublets. They were constantly monitoring the area and just like in the video, deploying the drones as needed.
Ionuț Moşteanu, Romania’s defense minister, has disclosed that two German pilots were ordered to shoot down a second drone. This directive didn’t just drop from the sky. He pressed the difficult nature of trying to engage such aircraft.
“It could have been destroyed if all the conditions had been met … the pilots needed to see it, to engage it, to lock it on radar and to be able to fire a missile at it.” – Ionuț Moşteanu
The Romanian military quickly mobilized, advising people in three border counties to take cover. Until that incident was resolved, they put these precautionary measures into place to keep everyone safe. Last week, officials ordered evacuation for a mile-plus radius after a tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas was impacted and exploded. This latest attack occurred in the Ukrainian port of Izmail, just across the Danube.
Russian forces launched six Gerbera drones into Moldova’s airspace overnight. This anti-drug war movement indicates that they are using a wider shift in strategy.
We just got more good news yesterday, courtesy of Gen Christopher Donahue, the US Army commander in Europe and Africa. A novel capability to protect against drone threats is being fielded next to Romania. He stated,
“We have tested and it is in the final stages of being employed. Romanian soldiers and other alliance soldiers have been trained on this capability and I know you’re going to see this capability in the delta [of the Danube] very soon.” – Gen Christopher Donahue
There are a number of challenges to intercepting Gerbera drones with fighter jets. Given the very high costs and public safety risk of downing an aircraft over developed areas this approach is especially fraught. The Romanian military is keenly aware of these intricacies. They have developed training programs for allied and American soldiers in order to enhance their capabilities to defeat aerial threats.
Tensions are still unfolding across Eastern Europe. The drone incursions underscore the need for NATO allies, especially those on the frontlines like Poland and Romania, to increase their detection capabilities and air defenses. The international community is still paying very close attention and will expect this important situation to develop in the right direction.