Which were the “collateral risks” of the drone down. The Minister of Defense Minister/ Russian Ambassador, summoned to the Ministry of Defense
F-16am Fighting Falcon Fighting plane. Photo: Gianluca Vannicelli / IPA-AGENCY / PA Images / Profimedia
The Minister of Defense Ionuț Moșteanu stated, at Digi24, that the decision not to break down the drone that entered the Romanian airspace on Saturday was taken by pilots, following the risk assessment in the area. The pilots had already received permission to break down the aircraft, but the fact that the drone flew at low altitude amplified the risk that the ammunition would also hit the ground level.
“We discussed with everyone involved, including one of the pilots. The pilots had the approval to bring down the target. We have a legal framework to be able to break down the drones promulgated by the president on May 19 (…) One month after I became a minister, I signed a minister order that I established that the order of the Opera can be taken by the command.”
“I trust the maturity of the pilots”
What we know about the incident in the airspace of Romania: “The Russian drone flew very low” / reaction from Ukraine: “their routes are always calculated”
Astel, a legal framework for such situations is well established, to be detailed in the CSAT only the procedures related to the break of pilot aircraft.
“The old law says that the minister gives the approval for the breaking of some pilot planes. He has a logic because he leaves 9/11, when the problem of breaking civilians who did not answer,” Mosteanu explained.
In this framework, the pilots of the two F-16 aircraft who took off for the drone interception were permission to destroy the drone, but the decision remained at their discretion.
“The pilots had intermittent contact, saw it, but when they had direct contact, evaluated the collateral risks and decided not to break it. I trust their maturity,” said the Minister of Defense. He explained that a 20 mm caliber bullet pulled by the machine gun on the F-16 plane can travel a distance of 5 km, and the drone flew at low altitude, where there was a risk that the bullets will reach the ground at high speed.
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Ionuț Mosteanu said that the authorities will continue to issue alerts for the population in the area, every time attacks on the Ukrainian ports will take place.
“It is important to have the RO-allert messages. This is the reality: we have war on the border and, unfortunately, those in Tulcea are witnesses of the” Balcony “war, so to speak. We also have anti-air-aircraft artillery on the ground. It is an area where we have challenges every week, ”explained the minister.
The Saturday incident came into account by the fact that the drone stood longer in the air space than usual, which is why the minister considers the action as “a challenge”.
For this reason, Moșteanu said that Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu intends to convene the Russian ambassador to Bucharest to communicate the protest of the Romanian authorities.
“It will be a diplomatic answer, I discussed with Mrs. Oana Țoiu and she will convene the ambassador to a discussion. This is my information,” concluded Ionuț Moșteanu. Subsequently, the Foreign Minister confirmed to Hotnews that Russian ambassador Vladimir Lipaev will be summoned to the MAE during the Sunday evening.
