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according to romanian media reports, the romanian ministry of defense recently issued a draft law confirming the purchase of 32 f-35a fighter jets from the united states. the total value of this procurement project is about 6.5 billion us dollars. if the draft is passed, it will be the largest military procurement project since romania joined nato.

romania may eventually purchase 48 f-35 fighter jets in the future

it is reported that in order to replace the old mig-21 fighters, the romanian ministry of defense proposed a project to purchase 32 f-35a fighters to the country's parliament in september 2023. in october of the same year, the project received preliminary approval from the romanian parliament. according to the us defense news website, documents submitted by the romanian ministry of defense to the country's parliament show that romania may purchase an additional 16 f-35a fighters in the future, bringing the total order to 48, in order to form three f-35 fighter squadrons.

the report said that the procurement project also includes logistical support, pilot and technician training, as well as simulators, weapons and ammunition. the first batch of f-35a fighter jets is expected to be delivered in 2030. in addition, to solve the shortage of f-35 fighter pilots, romania has also joined the european-nato joint jet pilot training program and the nato-european flight training program. romanian defense minister angel tervol said that the romanian air force equipped with f-35a fighter jets will provide more reliable security for nato's eastern wing and the black sea region.

at present, the main fighter jets of the romanian air force are 49 second-hand f-16 fighter jets purchased from norway and portugal. in order to strengthen the air combat capability of the f-16 fighter jets, romania reached a $70 million arms sales contract with the united states in april this year, planning to purchase 300 aim-9x block ii "sidewinder" air-to-air missiles and related equipment. at the end of august, the us state department approved the sale of 186 aim-120c-8 medium-range air-to-air missiles worth $592 million to romania. the us defense security cooperation agency said that the procurement action will enable romania to better perform nato defense missions and improve romania's ability to respond to threats. it is reported that after the retirement of the mig-21 fighter jets, romania's active f-16 fighter jets are also planned to be retired between 2034 and 2040.

in addition, in order to integrate more quickly into the nato air defense system and enhance its influence in international affairs, the romanian government began a large-scale expansion of the mihail kogalniceanu air base near the black sea in march this year, which is also a nato air policing base. according to reports, the project will cost about 2.5 billion euros (about 2.7 billion u.s. dollars), including the construction of new runways, hangars, fuel depots, ammunition depots, supply systems, advanced simulation facilities, etc., and is expected to be completed in stages over the next 20 years. after the new base is completed, the area will be twice that of the u.s. ramstein air base in germany, which is expected to further enhance romania's ability to respond to complex military operations.