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Romania signs acceptance letter for acquisition of 32 F-35 aircraft

Posted on by L. Dreeye
Romania signs acceptance letter for acquisition of 32 F-35 aircraft

Romania becomes the 20th country to join the F-35 program.

On November 21, 2024, Romania became part of the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II program by signing an LoA (Letter of Acceptance) for the acquisition of 32 fifth-generation stealth fighter airframes through the US government’s FMS (Foreign Military Sales). ). The US State Department in September approved the $7.2 billion deal, which the Romanian Senate recently voted to pass into law to ratify the purchase of the aircraft.

The DSCA (Defense Security Cooperation Agency) notification to Congress included 33 Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100s, of which 32 are installed and one is a spare. Other equipment includes communications, electronics, avionics, guidance, encryption, cryptographic systems, missiles, ammunition, support, maintenance, test equipment, spare parts, accessories, electronic warfare, software development, laboratory and logistics support USA.

At the latest contract signing ceremony, held in the presence of US Ambassador to Romania Kathleen Kavalec, the diplomat said the “advanced fighter jets” will be “a key step in the ongoing modernization of the Romanian military and will make a significant contribution to the long-term defense of the NATO Alliance and our collective security.” The F-35 purchase represents part of Bucharest’s defense spending of 2.5% of its GDP.

F-16 and contribution to NATO defense

Romania’s acquisition of the F-35 will strengthen NATO’s eastern flank, especially in the Black Sea region, amid escalating military confrontation with Russia. Kavalets also mentioned that the Romanian Air Force has shown “extreme commitment to modernizing legacy MiG aircraft using F-16 fighter jets in close cooperation with the United States and allies such as Portugal and Norway.”

In 2013, Romania signed a contract with Portugal for 12 F-16 A/B Block 15 MLU aircraft, and in 2019 another deal for five more of the same aircraft and their variants, which were delivered by March 2021 and operate 17 F aircraft -15. -16 A/B Block 15 MLU version. In November 2023 Fight reported that Romania also received the first nine of 32 used F-16AM/BM from Norway, which will be operated by the Air Force (Fortele Aerene ale Romanei/Romanian Air Force).

He contributed to the war effort in Ukraine by opening the EFTC (European F-16 Training Center/Fetesti Training Center) through collaboration with the Netherlands and Lockheed Martin. With a fleet of 14 Dutch F-16s, seven of which were two-seat and the rest single-seat, the first seven Romanian pilots completed training on the aircraft in July 2024, achieving mission-ready status. These pilots had previously flown Soviet-era MiG-21 aircraft.

Two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft approach a U.S. Air Force KC-135 for mid-air refueling, Oct. 28, 2024. (Image credit: U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Nicholas Rupiper)

To transition to the F-16, pilots underwent 200 hours of theoretical training, 500 hours of simulator training and 400 hours of actual flying to make them “fully prepared to perform all types of missions.” euronews quotes Gabriel Nicusor Angel, Advisor to the Romanian Minister of Defense. In that report, Kavaletz said that Romanian pilots also learned to use “command reconnaissance in modern air-to-air and air-to-ground flight tactics.”

In September, Ukrainian pilots also began training at the EFTC, marking Romania’s emergence as an international F-16 training hub. The center also employs subcontractors such as Daedalus Aviation Group, Draken International, GFD, ILIAS Solutions and BGI, LLC.

Transition to F-35

Commenting on the F-35 purchase, Kavalec said that the F-16, by “significantly” strengthening “Romania’s air defense” and “enabling it to play a more prominent role in NATO air policing missions,” also “provides a critical foundation for Romania’s eventual transition to F-35 fighter in the 2030s.”

This transition not only enhances “Alliance interoperability” but also ensures “the most advanced capabilities to survive the most advanced threats in the years ahead.” The F-35’s advanced sensors, stealth capabilities and network-centric warfare architecture will enable Romania to operate more effectively in a rapidly changing security environment.

The UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway are currently active users of the fifth generation aircraft. Belgium and Poland are also preparing to receive fighter jets. After Germany and Finland, Romania has become the “twentieth member of the global F-35 alliance,” aircraft developer Lockheed Martin said in a statement. Other non-European users of the aircraft include Israel, Australia, South Korea and Japan.

The presence of the F-35 in the fleet of all NATO countries bordering Russia poses a real threat to both the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Russian Ground Forces. Tactical coordination, coordination, and engagement tactics between allied F-35s, and between F-35s and other Western generation 4 and 4.5 fighters, represents the only area in the air where the West can match Russia, if not on the ground.