Another NATO Member Adopting the F-35 Lightning II – NATO member Romania is poised to make its largest military acquisition ever, as it announced on Thursday that it will sign a $6.5 billion contract to upgrade its air force with the U.S.-made Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
Romania will become just the latest nation in the international military alliance to acquire the fifth-generation stealth fighter, arguably the best combat aircraft in service in the world today.
Romania’s Ministry of Defense (MApN) has submitted to the Romanian Parliament a request to approve the purchase of 32 F-35 fighter jets, Minister Angel Tîlvăr told local news outlet Antena 3.
“The main threat to Romania’s security in the current context is the strengthening of the military potential of the Russian Federation and the increase of military pressure on the eastern border,” the request reads.
Per the terms of the request, the acquisition of the Lightning II will be carried out in two stages. In the first phase, Romania will acquire two F35 squadrons totaling 32 fighter jets; while in the second phase, an additional squadron will be purchased, resulting in an additional 16 aircraft for the Black Sea nation.
Putin is the F-35s Best Salesman
Bucharest had been considering the advanced stealth aircraft, but the war in neighboring Ukraine spurred Romania to action. The acquisition of modern fighters has become a priority.
“The war has literally moved to our doorstep for these last few weeks,” Tîlvăr explained while citing new Russian attacks on ports located on the banks of the Danube River, close to Romania’s eastern border. “We are not ignoring these risks by any means.”
The first of the F-35s could enter service with the Romanian Air Force beginning in 2030. Romania will be the third Eastern European ally – after Poland and the Czech Republic – to operate the fifth-generation F-35. It is already in service with other NATO states, including the UK, the Netherlands, and Italy; while Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, and Poland have ordered the jet
In addition, neutral Switzerland has moved forward with plans to acquire the F-35. As noted by Romania’s concerns among the other nations, Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine last year has served as a catalyst for F-35 sales.
Other Hardware Headed to Romania
While Romania will have to wait until the end of the decade to receive its first F-35s, the country signed a deal to acquire 32 “second-hand” F-16 Fighting Falcons from NATO ally Norway. Those aircraft are expected to replace the Soviet-made MiG-21 fighters that Romania has operated since the Cold War.
In May, Romania’s parliament also approved a National Defense Ministry’s request to purchase 54 used M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 tanks from the United States in a deal worth around 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion). The American-made main battle tanks (MBTs) would enable Romania’s land forces to replace a number of its outdated Soviet-era tanks – with some of the latter vehicles even being transferred to Ukraine.
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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