Two NH-90 helicopters from the Spanish Air and Space Force conducted an Alpha Scramble on 5 November in response to unidentified drones detected over Romania.
The helicopters, assigned to the 48th Wing and deployed under the Paznic Tactical Air Detachment (eAP-72), launched from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base alongside Spanish F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets.
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According to Nato, this marks the first time Spanish rotary-wing aircraft have carried out an Alpha Scramble as part of its air defence operations.
The response formed part of the alliance’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence mission on the alliance’s eastern flank.
Spanish Paznic Detachment commander Lieutenant Colonel Alberto B. Calvo López said: “In this context, the NH-90 helicopters provide a complementary capability. They do not replace the F/A18s; they complement them.
“While fighter aircraft offer speed, range, powerful sensors and an immediate response capability against certain threats, helicopters can provide flexibility in other mission profiles, particularly when dealing with low-altitude, low-speed or less conventional threats.”
Nato’s air-defence structure combines quick-reaction aircraft, ground-based air and missile defence systems, mobile firing teams, surveillance aircraft, helicopters and counter-uncrewed aircraft systems.
These assets are supported by sensors and command-and-control arrangements designed to identify, track and respond to air threats.
The Spanish detachment comprises about 200 personnel and operates both F/A-18s and NH-90s from the Romanian base.
It has conducted almost 40 Alpha Scramble sorties involving the two aircraft types during its deployment.
Nato also said the contingent neutralised a drone on 16 August 2026. The alliance did not provide further details of that incident in the information supplied.
The latest scramble follows other reported drone incidents in the area.
Last month, Romania’s defence ministry said Romanian F-16s shot down two drones over the country’s territorial waters, days after two chemical tankers were struck by drones near Romania’s Black Sea coast.
