Nato Member Romania loses fighter plane, rescue chopper sent for it ...

[Alhena]

Could just be weather, but two downed aircraft is worrisome:

Link to tweet

crash site video:

[Lovie777]

1. Prayers . ...

[Chainfire]

2. Really, pray that the Russians didn't do it.

[ColinC]

3. If the Russians did this, is NATO required to intervene in Ukraine?

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

5. It would be an act of war against Romania

And Romania could invoke Article 5.

[ColinC]

6. So it would be up to Romania, then?

That makes sense...

Yeah if Russia is shooting down Romanian jets and helicopters, they would be right in declaring war on Russia.

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

10. Them or NATO

NATO invoked article 5 once, after 9/11. But I don't remember if we requested it or if NATO itself did it unilaterally.

[Wounded Bear]

7. It might depend on where the incident occurs, too...

if the planes flew into Ukraine airspace, which is a war zone, it might be "excusable" under the rules of warfare.

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

9. True

If it strayed into Ukrainian airspace and was misidentified as a Ukrainian jet, then that could be excused as a honest mistake.

[inanna]

4. Any updates on this?

[inanna]

8. Reuters:Seven dead in Romanian military rescue helicopter crash

March 2, 2022
4:40 PM EST
Last Updated 22 min ago

A Romanian helicopter sent on a search-and-rescue mission late on Wednesday after a Romanian military MiG 21 LanceR dropped off the radar has crashed, the defence ministry said, killing all seven soldiers on board.

The pilot of the IAR 330-Puma helicopter had reported unfavourable weather conditions and had been called back to base before the crash, the ministry said. The helicopter fell near the village of Gura Dobrogei in eastern Romania.

(snip)

"I give my profound regret and full compassion for the loss of seven soldiers from the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base," Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said.

The fate and location of the MiG plane and its pilot were still unknown. Romania, a European Union and NATO member, plans to phase out its MiG planes and is flying F-16s.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/five-dead-romanian-military-rescue-helicopter-crash-defence-ministry-2022-03-02/

[mitch96]

11. "plans to phase out its MiG planes".. Good! "loan" them to Ukraine...nt

[inanna]

12. kicking thread n/t

[inanna]

13. Update from Guardian

02:07

Seven military personnel died after their helicopter crashed in eastern Romania near the Black Sea while searching for a missing fighter jet and its pilot, according to Ukraine’s ministry of defence.

The IAR 330-Puma helicopter crashed in the area of Gura Dobrogei, 11km (7 miles) from the airfield on Wednesday, killing all seven people aboard, Agence France-Presse reports.

It was searching for a MiG 21 LanceR, shortly after the fighter jet lost radio contact with the control tower during an air patrol mission and disappeared from the radar.

“Search and rescue operations for the pilot of the MiG 21 LanceR aircraft are still ongoing,” a statement from the defence ministry said.

(snip)

“It is premature to discuss possible causes. Certainly, there were unfavourable weather conditions, but we can’t comment now,” spokesman General Constantin Spanu said on local television.

...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/mar/02/ukraine-news-russia-war-kyiv-kharkiv-russian-invasion-vladimir-putin-joe-biden-latest-live-updates