The MiG-21 LanceR aircraft will be retired from the Romanian Air Force starting Monday, May 15, as a result of the decision of the Supreme Defense Council of the country to switch to the use of F-16 aircraft. , says the press release of the Ministry of Defense.

The authorities have kept secret the exact number of MiG-21 LanceR fighters still in service with the Romanian Air Force, but unofficial estimates showed in 2022 that the army relied on about 30 such devices, of which about 24 were operational 26.

Since 1994, 20 MiG-21 LanceR aircraft have crashed.

“On Monday, May 15, the last flights of the MiG-21 LanceR aircraft from the Romanian Air Force will take place, they will be decommissioned on the basis of CSAT Decision No. 083/2022 on the approval of the Memorandum on the “Decommissioning of MiGs”. – 21 LanceR and accelerated transition to the operation of F-16 aircraft from Air Force equipment,” the message reads.

According to the MApN, the Romanian Air Force will continue to perform permanent combat Air Policing duty with the F-16 aircraft in equipment with the support of allied aviation deployed in Romania, as part of the NATO-led enhanced air control mission. Similarly, ground-based air defense systems will continue to perform air police missions under national command, as well as within the framework of NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense System.

In fact, the process of decommissioning MiG-21 LanceR aircraft of the Romanian Air Force has already started since the beginning of the year, even if no official announcement has been made, Aviația Magazin writes on January 20. citing sources in the field.

CSAT decided to decommission the MiG-21 LanceR aircraft by May 2023

Romania’s MiG-21 LanceR fighter jets are due to be officially decommissioned in May 2023, according to a decision made in 2022 by the country’s Supreme Defense Council.

The May 2022 CSAT decision stated that “the MiG-21 LanceR aircraft will be used until 15 May 2023 exclusively for missions specific to the Standing Combat Air Police Service and to support the flight training of pilots selected for the purposes.” continued use of this type of aircraft.”

CSAT’s decision comes after the MiG fleet was grounded for almost a month following a series of incidents, including one that crashed near Constanta last March.

How many MiG-21 LanceR aircraft Romania had in service in March 2022

The exact number of MiG-21 LanceR fighters still in service with the Romanian Air Force in 2022 remained confidential, but unofficial estimates put the army at the time relying on about 30 such aircraft, less than two full squadrons. [n.r. o escadrilă este formată din 16 aeronave].

However, in reality, the number of MiG 21 LanceR aircraft that were actually operational and in use was even lower – somewhere around 24-26 aircraft, several sources in the field told HotNews.ro a few years ago.

Romania is buying 32 F-16 aircraft from Norway

The Ministry of National Defense of Romania signed a contract with the Government of the Kingdom of Norway in November 2022 for the purchase of 32 F-16 aircraft in the M6.5.2 configuration, spare engines and logistics support.

The value of the contract, signed with the government of the Kingdom of Norway, is 388 million euros and is designed for three years, with the first aircraft to be delivered at the end of 2023.

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”.

The 17 F-16s were purchased in two parts from Portugal and upgraded with US help, and the whole package cost Romania around €628 million, including personnel training.

F-35 aircraft, after 2030

Romania will purchase the latest generation F-35 aircraft, the members of the country’s Supreme Defense Council decided. On April 11, they approved the concept of achieving the combat capability of air defense with V generation multi-purpose aircraft.

The process of modernization of the Air Force will continue with the purchase of F-35 aircraft of the latest generation. These aircraft, equipped with a wide range of advanced sensors, the ability to exchange encrypted information in real time with both air platforms and ground defense systems, the ability to actually control the operational picture of the battlefield, as well as with high-precision intelligent munitions, make it possible to achieve and maintain superiority in the air, a prerequisite for ensuring sovereignty in national airspace and, if necessary, for its protection.

Klaus Iohannis already announced back in February 2022 that Romania will acquire the F-35 model, a 5th generation aircraft produced by Lockheed Martin, which has become the most chosen new aircraft in many NATO member states, including Norway, which is making a transition from the F -16, planes that will reach us in this way.

The transition to 5th generation aircraft, even if it is theoretically planned to happen after 2030, will take years and require, in addition to pre-signed contracts and large payments in installments before the machines are actually delivered, as well as infrastructure preparation, logistics and training pilots

How many MiGs crashed in Romania

Since 1994, 20 MiG-21 LanceR aircraft have crashed, and here is a timeline of aviation atrocities:

– May 18, 1994 – MiG-21 crashed during a training flight. As a result of the accident, the pilot died, and the plane belonging to the military aviation unit in Timisoara was destroyed.

– October 14, 1994 – the MiG-21 plane crashed, the pilot Adrian Trushka died. During the investigation, it was established that the cause of the accident was the pilot’s errors.

– July 27, 1995 – MiG 21 aircraft from UM 019051-Deveselu crashed approximately 15 minutes after takeoff. The device performed a meteorological flight in combination with combat exercises simulating firing at ground targets. As a result of the accident, both pilots died.

– August 29, 1995 – a dual-pilot MiG-21 aircraft crashed at the Jarmata airfield near Timisoara. Both pilots managed to escape by ejecting.

– May 22, 1997 – a MiG 21 military aircraft of the Bacau military unit crashed in the Parjol district of Bacau county. The pilot escaped by ejecting.

– December 10, 1997 – a two-pilot MiG-21 plane crashed during a training flight, the plane was destroyed when it hit the ground, but the pilots ejected.

– August 17, 1999 – a dual-command aircraft of the 95th Air Base crashed near the air base in Bacau. The reason was an error in the piloting technique. Both pilots were rescued by ejection. The plane crashed immediately after takeoff, about three kilometers from the end of the runway.

– July 13, 2001 – The SC Aerostar Bacău plane crashed in a mountainous area near the city of Tazlaul Mare, the pilot managed to eject. The commission investigating the causes of the crash of the MIG 21 Lancer military plane ruled out the possibility of pilot error, investigators came to this conclusion after deciphering the plane’s black box.

– February 21, 2002 – A single-pilot MiG 21 Lancer belonging to the 86th Air Base Feteşti crashed in the fishing lake of Jezer near the municipality of Calaras. The plane was destroyed, and the pilot Adrian Savulescu was killed. The flight was conducted as part of training under strict control. The cause of the accident was a collision with a bird.

– March 26, 2002 – a plane of the 71st Air Base crashed near Turda, but the pilot managed to escape. The reason was a malfunction of the engine’s fuel supply system.

– October 23, 2002 – a MiG 21 Lancer plane fell from a height of 30 meters at the airfield of the aviation unit in Bacau, which was performing a training flight under simple command. The pilot of the plane, who was alone on board, managed to eject before the plane hit the ground. The cause of the accident was a collision with a bird.

– September 26, 2003 – A MiG-21 Lancer crashed near Campia-Turzi, and the pilot, Commander Captain Sorin Popa, was killed without ejecting. The plane crash happened on a hill in the vicinity of the Vijšoara commune. The plane belonged to the aviation unit from Luna and was performing a training flight. The reason was spatial disorientation.

– August 26, 2004 – two MiG 21 Lancer aircraft with simple controls collided in flight, 20 minutes after takeoff from Turziy airport, the pilots managed to eject and were picked up. The cause of the accident was human error, as well as adverse weather conditions.

– March 8, 2005 – a single-pilot MiG 21 Lancer belonging to the 86th Feteşti Air Base crashed in the Insuraţei district, Braila County. The pilot ejected, survived the crash, but the plane was almost completely destroyed. The probable cause of the accident was the loss of aerodynamic stability of the aircraft as a result of the pilot’s vigorous activation of the controls to ensure the superiority of victory in the dogfight.

– November 22, 2006 – a MiG 21 Lancer plane crashed in Beliu, Arad County. The aircraft operated normally throughout the flight, from takeoff to impact with the ground. The investigation commission estimated that the occurrence of the plane crash can be attributed to “the pilot’s sudden loss of consciousness, caused by one of the factors of the external environment or an existing psychophysical condition in a latent state.” The pilot, who was alone in the plane, died.

– November 1, 2010 – The plane crashed near Campia Turzii. Two military pilots were killed.

– June 12, 2017 – A MiG 21 Lancer crashed near the town of Nazarca in Constanta, in a field after the pilot ejected. Pilot Adrian Stanku escaped with his life. He reported that his plane had serious engine problems during landing.

– July 7, 2018 – A MiG 21 Lancer participating in the rally organized on the occasion of the Open Day at the Borcha Air Base crashed during the demonstration near the toll station in Feteşti. The pilot, Captain-Lieutenant Florin Rotaru at the age of 36, died after refusing to eject, he stayed on the runway to get the plane as far away as possible from the people involved in the incident.

– April 20, 2021 – a MiG-21 LanceR military aircraft, which was conducting a training flight, crashed in Mures County, the pilot managed to eject.

– March 2, 2022 – A MiG 21 LanceR crashed in Konstanz County.