Bulgaria, Romania and Spain sign trilateral NATO air-defence pact

Bulgaria, Romania and Spain have signed a trilateral technical agreement that enables Spanish combat aircraft stationed in Romania to carry out air policing missions that can extend into Bulgarian airspace.

The accord was concluded by the three countries' air forces and relies on Article 12 of the bilateral agreement between the governments of Bulgaria and Romania from 2021. It expands an existing legal and operational framework to allow aircraft from a third NATO ally — in this case Spain — to take part in joint cross-border air-defence operations.

Operational reach within NATO's integrated system

Under the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence (NATINAMDS) arrangement, the Spanish fighters currently deployed in Romania will be authorised to perform patrol missions in Romanian airspace and, when required, to extend their operations into Bulgarian airspace. The text of the technical pact formalises those permissions and the coordination mechanisms between the three air forces.

Officials from the participating countries say the agreement strengthens collective air-defence on NATO's eastern flank by improving operational flexibility and interoperability among allied air forces. It is presented as a practical step to bolster deterrence and incident response in a region where air security remains a priority.

The move follows an episode earlier this year when Romania scrambled two F-16s in response to an attack by a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle near its border, an event that underscored the need for tighter cooperation to protect allied airspace.

Member states involved say joint air-policing missions are an established NATO mechanism to safeguard the airspace of eastern-flank allies. The new agreement is expected to deepen cooperation in air and missile defence and to strengthen the Alliance's defensive capabilities in the region.

Photo: Ivan Batinic / Alamy / Profimedia