Spanish NH90 helicopters make first Alpha Scramble during a NATO mission abroad

Two Spanish Air and Space Force NH90 helicopters took off on a NATO alert in Romania on Nov. 5 after unidentified drones were detected, the first such launch by Spanish helicopters on a NATO mission, according to Spain’s Defense Staff. The drones disappeared before they needed to be neutralized, and the helicopters returned to base.

The launch was an Alpha Scramble, NATO’s term for a real alert takeoff rather than a drill. The helicopters belong to the Spanish Paznic detachment at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base. Their crews serve on Quick Reaction Alert (QRA), a standby status for aircraft that must launch when an unknown aircraft is detected.

Detachment commander Lt. Col. Alberto B. Calvo López said the NH90s add a complementary capability. “They do not replace the F/A18s; they complement them,” he said. He said helicopters can add flexibility against threats that fly low and slow, according to NATO’s Allied Air Command.

What the Defense Staff reported

The launch fits NATO’s integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) approach, a layered system that pairs alert aircraft with ground-based air defenses and counter-drone measures, Spain’s Defense Staff said. The Spanish detachment flies F-18 fighters and NH90s in NATO’s air defense mission on its eastern flank. It has about 200 airmen, and the staff said it has flown 37 Alpha Scramble sorties so far. The staff also cited a drone neutralized on Aug. 16, 2026. Reuters reported that Romania’s defense ministry credited a Spanish F-18 with that shootdown, the fourth drone Romania had downed this year.

NATO’s Allied Air Command described the same launch and added a photo caption showing a door gunner aboard an NH90 watching the Romanian terrain for threats. In that account, Calvo López said fighters offer speed and strong sensors, while helicopters suit other missions. The Defense Staff’s release did not say how many drones were detected, what type they were or where they came from.

Helicopters against drones, and open questions

Other militaries are also testing helicopters against drones. US Central Command shared video of Apache helicopters firing upgraded Hellfire missiles at drones in a 2024 training exercise in Saudi Arabia. The Army has also live-tested a 30-millimeter (1.2-inch) proximity round from an Apache, which detonates near a target instead of on impact. Those tests used Apaches, which are primarily anti-armor attack helicopters, not NH90s.

The sources describe an alert launch, not an interception. No drone was engaged, so the NH90s’ ability to stop one in this deployment is untested. The Defense Staff gave no detail on how the drones disappeared, and the “first” applies only to Spanish helicopters on a NATO mission. Both accounts come from the militaries involved, and no independent confirmation was found.

The Paznic detachment remains at Mihail Kogălniceanu, and the Defense Staff’s release gave no end date for the deployment. Spain’s Defense Staff published its account on Nov. 6 and NATO’s Allied Air Command followed on Nov. 9.