NATO conducts Black Sea air defence drills with Romanian F‑16s, US B‑52s as Ukraine tests laser system

Ukraine is trialling a laser‑based air‑defence system while boosting production of low‑cost interceptor rockets and expanding the combat use of drones.

NATO carried out a series of air‑defence and deterrence missions over the Black Sea, deploying fighter jets from Romania and Greece, Eurofighter Typhoons from the United Kingdom, strategic B‑52 Stratofortress bombers from the United States, a Romanian Patriot surface‑to‑air missile system, and an AWACS aircraft. The operations, coordinated by NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre, integrated air‑refuelling tankers, ground‑based JTAC teams and command‑and‑control assets to practise collective defence in the region.

Both initiatives underscore heightened security activity in the Black Sea area amid ongoing tensions with Russia.