Another European NATO country wants to order F-35 Lightning II fighters

Lockheed Martin may soon have a new customer for its fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. Last year, Germany, Switzerland and several other European countries announced the purchase of the F-35. Now Romania has joined them.

Here's What We Know

The Romanian Air Force has 17 fourth-generation F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters, which were bought from Portugal and the US. In the coming years they will be joined by 32 F-16s from Norway. The deal was worth about $400 million.

The head of the Armaments Directorate of the Ministry of National Defence said that Romania is ready to begin preparations for signing a contract to buy F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. The agreement should be signed in 2023 or 2024 and deliveries will start after 2030.

The F-35 made its first flight in 2006. Six years later, the US began operating the fighters for training purposes. Lockheed Martin has already delivered more than 890 aircraft to the United States and its allies. The Marine Corps was the first to receive the F-35 (in 2015). The price of one aircraft in the F-35A modification for the Air Force is about $80 million excluding the cost of the engine.

Source: Defence Romania