Romania has begun flying a second F-16 squadron in NATO’s air policing mission, increasing its position in securing the Alliance’s jap flank, in line with Allied Air Command.
The forty eighth Fighter Squadron, based mostly on the 71st “Basic Emanoil Ionescu” Air Base in Câmpia Turzii, launched its first NATO-led sorties on 20 October 2025.
The missions goal to protect the integrity of Romanian airspace and reinforce the collective defence of NATO’s southeastern frontier amid continued regional instability.
NATO described the squadron’s certification as a serious step in strengthening the Alliance’s built-in air and missile defence community. It marks Romania’s second operational F-16 unit and displays the rising interoperability of the Romanian Air Drive, which now fields a fleet absolutely suitable with NATO requirements.
The forty eighth Squadron joins the 53rd Fighter Squadron, stationed at Fetești Air Base, and a German Air Drive detachment from Tactical Air Wing 71 “Richthofen,” which is at the moment working 5 Eurofighter Typhoons out of Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base.
Collectively, the three models kind a key ingredient of NATO’s 24/7 air policing mission, which displays and responds to potential airspace incursions throughout Allied territory.
Picture VictorCozmei, CC BY-SA 4.0, through Wikimedia Commons.