Equipment procurement for army

The Defense Ministry has officially requested Parliament's approval for the most expensive procurement in the history of the Romanian Army - 6.5 billion dollars for 32 F-35 military aircraft.

Daniela Budu, 27.09.2023, 13:50

The Romanian Defense Ministry has officially requested Parliaments approval for the start, this year, of the program to purchase 32 F-35 military aircraft from the United States, and Parliament has taken note of this request. In the document, the Defense Ministry officials emphasize that, in order to fulfill the objectives of Romanias defense policy, they continue the actions for the purchase of new military equipment that should contribute to the development and maintenance of robust and resilient defense capabilities. The purchase is part of the F-35 multi-role 5thgeneration aircraft endowment program, and the amount is a record for the Romanian Army – 6.5 billion dollars. The money will be used for the purchase of aircraft, engines, logistic support, pilot and staff training services and flight simulators. The first planes are to be delivered by the American manufacturers in 2030.

The decision to purchase the state-of-the-art American aircraft was made at the meeting of the Supreme Defense Council of Romania (CSAT) in April, and the Defense Ministry is obliged by law to ask for Parliaments approval for any purchase worth more than 100 million Euros. Moreover, in the context of Russias invasion of neighboring Ukraine, Romania, a member state of the European Union and NATO, has increased its spending for defense from 2% to 2.5% of the Gross Domestic Product this year. Romania shares a 650km-border with Ukraine and has seen the conflict approach its borders amid Moscows repeated attacks on the Ukrainian ports on the Danube.

Last year, Romania decided to purchase 32 second-hand F-16 fighter jets from Norway, and in 2016 it also purchased 17 aircraft from Portugal. In addition, in July, Bucharest announced, after approval by the country’s Supreme Defense Council (CSAT), the creation of a regional F-16 pilots training center that will be available to NATO allies and partners, including Ukraine. „Our major interest is to have well-trained Romanian pilots as soon as possible to operate the F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force. We all know how complex is the process of ensuring the security of the airspace in the Black Sea region, on the NATO border „the defense minister Angel Tîlvăr said then.

Moreover, at the informal meeting of the North Atlantic Council together with Sweden, in the format of defense ministers, which was also held in July in Vilnius, on the sidelines of the NATO Summit, the Romanian official told the allies that the security situation in the Black Sea region must remain a constant concern of the Alliance. In this context, he mentioned the preservation of the commitments assumed by Romania within the three pillars of the concept of fair sharing of responsibilities –ensuring the financial resources, implementing the assumed capabilities and contributing to NATO operations, missions and commitments. (LS)