Mysterious plane alerts NATO, “Loses track and pilot disappears in Bulgaria”, avoided radars in 6 alliance countries

NATO has been put on alert after it was learned that a small aircraft had passed through the airspace of six alliance countries without being detected by radars, before the pilot landed and then disappeared.

The suspicious plane was spotted by the Hungarian and Romanian Air Forces flying through their airspace, but it also flew over Poland, Slovakia and Serbia before landing in Bulgaria. Each of these countries, with the exception of Serbia, is a member of NATO. According to Euractiv media, the mysterious plane is believed to have departed from Lithuania and landed at an abandoned airport in Targovishte in Bulgaria.

The fighter jets, including the USAF F-16, two Romanian F-16s and two Hungarian Grips, crashed and tracked the travel of the two-seater aircraft as it did not respond to radio broadcasts.

The small Beechcraft plane first reportedly landed at a small airport in Debrecen, Hungary, where a group of people landed to refuel it before boarding again and escaping police.

Meanwhile, Bulgarian authorities have started an investigation into what happened after the pilot and crew disappeared after landing at Targovishte airport, leaving the plane’s engine still warm, according to reports. The airport has been unused for years and it is now said to be used for agricultural purposes.

Bulgarian Defense Ministry Official Dragomir Zakov, said the plane entered his country’s airspace on the evening of June 8th.

“The plane was at no time a threat to civilian or military infrastructure in Bulgaria. It flew at low altitudes, which made it difficult to intercept fighter jets, but it was being monitored all the time. “The Ministry of Defense is taking appropriate actions to clarify the circumstances,” said Zakov.

The incident comes weeks after NATO used its planes to capture two Russian planes near the Finnish border with Norway amid rising tensions in the region. The Norwegian Air Force captured a Mikoyan MiG-31 ‘Foxhound’ and a Sukhoi Su-24 ‘Fencer’ aircraft near their airspace on May 27.

Tensions between Russia and the Nordic countries have skyrocketed since Finland and Sweden angered Vladimir Putin by seeking to join NATO on May 18, almost doubling Russia’s border with their formidable enemies overnight.