Romania to sign historic F-35A contract this year

Romania's Minister of National Defence, Angel Tilvar, said that his country is about to sign a contract to purchase the first batch of US fifth-generation F-35A multi-role fighters.

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Tilvar explained that Romania will divide the procurement programme into two stages. At the initial stage, 32 F-35A aircraft will be purchased, and the remaining 16 aircraft will be purchased at the second stage. In total, Romania aims to receive 48 F-35As, exceeding Poland's contract with the United States, which received 32 of these fighters in January 2020.

The Minister of Defence confirmed that the procurement process is underway. A letter of request (LOR) has already been sent to Washington. Romania is now awaiting a response from the United States, which will define the scope of the future contract.

Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-35, could benefit significantly from this deal. Tilvar has announced that the budget allocated to the F-35 programme will be approximately $6.5 billion. This budget, the largest defence contract in Romania's history, will cover not only aircraft but also weapons, training, logistical support, spare parts, engines and simulators.

The Romanian Air Force is currently inducting additional F-16 fighters, which are expected to serve as a transitional platform to the more advanced F-35. At the end of 2022, Romania purchased 32 used F-16 multi-role aircraft from Norway, nine of which are already being operated by Romanian pilots.

Source: Defence Industry Europe