Romania will buy 32 F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation fighter jets for $6.5bn, but deliveries will take almost 10 years to begin

Romania is ready to queue up for the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II multirole fighters. The Ministry of Defence has submitted a request to the parliament to approve the purchase of the American planes.

Here's What We Know

The Romanian Air Force now has 17 F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters in service after the Soviet MiG-21s were decommissioned. Bucharest will receive another 32 AM/BM aircraft in the M6.5.2 configuration by the end of the year. They were purchased from Norway for about $400 million.

Romania's interest in the F-35 became known back in early March 2023. If the contract is signed in 2024, deliveries of the fifth-generation fighters will start in 2032. This was announced a couple of weeks ago by Minister of National Defence Angel Tîlvăr.

Romania intends to purchase 32 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets in the basic version F-35A. The value of the agreement is estimated at $6.5bn. In comparison, Germany last year ordered 35 aircraft, 37 F135 engines, as well as AMRAAM and JASSM missiles worth about $9bn.

Source: Defence Romania