The Romanian Air Force aerial surveillance system detected on Tuesday, around 12:30 p.m., a small airborne target with a behavior similar to that of a weather balloon, flying at an altitude of about 11,000 meters in the national airspace, in south-eastern Romania, the National Defence Ministry reports, according to Agerpres.

Under these circumstances, the Romanian authorities applied all the standard procedures from the moment the object was detected, and two MiG-21 LanceR aircraft of the Romanian Air Force from the NATO-led Air Policing Service scrambled from the 86th Fetesti Air Base, around 12:40, and were directed to the area where the airborne target was reported.

The crews of the two aircraft did not confirm the presence of the said target, neither visually nor on the onboard radars. The planes remained in the area for approximately 30 minutes for the full clarification of the situation, after which they returned to the air base.

The Romanian Air Force in cooperation with the Allied forces permanently monitors the national airspace and the nearby area, the National Defence Ministry notes.

Agerpres