The defense minister said on Tuesday that Romania plans to buy 32 F-35 fighter planes from Lockheed Martin in the United States for $6.5 billion. The deal was first mentioned in April.
In reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the member of the European Union and NATO has raised defense spending from 2% of GDP to 2.5% of GDP this year.
Romania is 650 km (400 miles) away from Ukraine and has seen the fighting get close to its borders as Moscow has struck Ukrainian ports across the Danube.
It decided last year to buy 32 used F-16 fighter jets from Norway. These will be added to the 17 it bought from Portugal in 2016.
It stated in July that it would build a regional training center for F-16 pilots that would be open to all NATO allies and partners, including Ukraine.
The Romanian supreme defense council (CSAT) gave its approval for the F-35 purchase in April. Now, the ministry is asking lawmakers to allow the purchase to begin this year.
Logistics and training services, flying simulators, ammunition, and the jets are all part of the outline deal. Romania also has the option to buy 16 more F-35s in the future.
It’s not possible that final contracts will be signed until next year, and this year, Angel Tilvar, the minister of defense, said that the first planes would not be delivered until 2030.
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