Romania is about to announce the biggest military deal in its history. According to Bloomberg, the European country member of NATO should sign in the coming days an agreement worth US$ 6.5 billion to acquire 32 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighters manufactured in the United States.
Defense Minister Angel Tilvar told the outlet that Bucharest is awaiting parliamentary approval in Washington to proceed with the purchase of the aircraft, as well as logistics equipment, training and ammunition. According to Tilvar, the aircraft should enter service with the Romanian Air Force from 2030 onwards.
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Romania’s interest in the F-35 is old and the country even announced, in April this year, the selection of Lockheed Martin’s fifth-generation fighter to reinforce the air force.
With the war in neighboring Ukraine against Russia, the acquisition of advanced jets has become a priority for the nation.
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“The war has literally moved to our doorstep for these last few weeks,” Tilvar told the agency, citing new Russian attacks on ports located on the banks of the Danube River, close to Romania’s eastern border. “We are not ignoring these risks by any means.”
In addition to the F-35, Romania is also expecting the delivery of 32 second-hand F-16 fighters from Norway by 2025.
In May, the MiG-21 in the LanceR version, upgraded with avionics and weapons systems developed by Romanian and Israeli companies, was withdrawn from service after remaining the main combat aircraft in the country’s air force inventory.
