Spanish F‑18 Deployment in Romania Enables Cross‑Border Air Policing with Bulgaria

The Spanish Air and Space Force’s Paznic detachment has completed its first familiarisation flights of F‑18 fighters and an A400M tanker at the Romanian base of Mihail Kogălniceanu. The flights are a prerequisite for the unit’s integration into NATO’s reinforced air policing mission on the alliance’s eastern flank, where recent Russian drone incursions have heightened tension.

Spain, Romania and Bulgaria have signed a trilateral agreement that allows the Spanish F‑18s stationed in Romania to conduct air‑policing missions over Bulgarian airspace without additional procedural steps. The pact, the first of its kind within NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence System, expands operational flexibility, improves interoperability and speeds the response to regional security incidents. The Spanish contingent includes six F‑18s, an A400M for aerial refuelling, a tactical air control team and, from November, three NH90 helicopters to complete the deployment.