The Ministry of National Defense of Romania has signed a contract for the purchase of 32 F-16 aircraft with the government of the Kingdom of Norway. The contract provides that the first aircraft will arrive in Romania in 2023.

It is updated

In December 2021, the Ministry of National Defense received the approval of the Parliament of Romania to initiate procurement procedures and their development in accordance with the provisions of Law no. 214 of 2022, the institution reports.

MApN has agreed with Norwegian representatives on a contract for the purchase of 32 F-16 aircraft in the M6.5.2 configuration, spare engines and logistical support. The contract signed today with the Government of the Kingdom of Norway is worth EUR 388 million and will last for three years, and the first aircraft will be delivered at the end of 2023.

The contract was developed with the support of the Government of the United States of America, in this sense the Government of Romania sent a letter of the type “Letter of inquiry” to the address of the US Government, to which a response is expected by the end of the year.

The aircraft will be delivered to Romania in working condition with an available resource that will allow them to be operated by the Romanian Air Force for at least 10 years, respectively, during the transition period to V generation aircraft.

The purchase of 32 aircraft from the government of the Kingdom of Norway effectively means the transfer of capabilities between the two NATO member states to increase Romania’s defense capabilities and ensure the national contribution to collective defense within the framework of the North Atlantic Alliance.

How many F-16s does Romania currently have? They are being modernized

Currently, the Romanian Air Force has 17 F-16 aircraft in the M5.2R configuration, which will be upgraded to the M6.6 configuration, purchased based on the provisions of the Concept for the gradual realization of air defense capabilities within the framework of “Air Force Multipurpose Aircraft”.

Specific missions of the Standing Combat Service – Air Police (SLP-PA) are performed by F-16 and MiG-21 LanceR aircraft, but the use of the latter is a short-term solution (one year).

The gradual decommissioning of MiG-21 LanceR aircraft and the need for permanent combat service – air police with F-16 aircraft, combined with the development of the regional security environment, determined the need to define a solution that would allow the protection of Romanian airspace with F-16 aircraft and the implementation of SLP- PA by F-16 aircraft in accordance with obligations to NATO.