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a u.s. f-22 fighter jet taxis on the runway at mihail kogalniceanu air base.

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.

it is reported that in order to eliminate 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 was preliminarily agreed by 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 logistics support, pilot and technician training, as well as simulators, weapons and ammunition, etc. the first batch of f-35a fighters is expected to be delivered in 2030. in addition, in order 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 fighters 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 force 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), and the project includes 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. military's ramstein air force base in germany, and it is expected to further enhance romania's ability to respond to complex military operations. (ma ling)

(china national defense news)