Last March, the Government of Romania expressed its strong interest in acquiring the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jet, following the decisions of Poland and the Czech Republic, which decided to purchase the fifth-generation fighter first.
And now there is the latest news, that the Romanian Ministry of Defense has submitted approval to parliament for the purchase of 32 F-35 units with a budget of around US $ 6.5 billion.
In an interview with local broadcaster Antena 3, Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr said his ministry is taking the first steps to equip the Romanian Air Force with advanced capabilities that will give Romania a consolidated status in the security architecture on the eastern side of NATO and in the Black Sea region.”
On April 11, 2023, the Supreme Council of National Defense of Romania, a state body chaired by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, authorized the Ministry of Defense to acquire aircraft for the country's air force. The potential deal will be conducted under a foreign military sales (FMS) framework and will require approval from the United States Department of Defense.
Documentation submitted to the Romanian parliament shows that after the purchase of two F-35 squadrons consisting of 32 aircraft, Romania may pursue the acquisition of a third squadron consisting of 16 fighter jets.
With this procurement, Romania could become the third Eastern European ally, after Poland and the Czech Republic, to operate Lockheed Martin fifth-generation aircraft in its fleet. If the procurement contract goes smoothly, then Romania will only be able to receive (fastest) the F-35 in 2030, or ten years after the contract becomes effective.
The long waiting time for the arrival of the F-35 was due to the large backlog of F-35 production orders. The overflow of orders for the production of the F-35 is a tremendous blessing for the manufacturer, but on the other hand, the large number of orders also creates a tough challenge for the production line, because so far there have been many obstacles related to the development and production of this stealth fighter.
Orders in large quantities by the United States armed forces and US allies, create its own difficulties to meet demand, let's say the production capacity for this year is only 156 units of aircraft.
The decision to purchase the jets will position Romania, a NATO ally that borders Ukraine, to join the 17-nation Joint Strike Fighter. Romania's decision to buy the F-35 highlights how dramatically Russia's invasion of Ukraine has changed the European security landscape.
Interest in the F-35 has increased globally among US allies and partners as more nations seek to modernize their fighter fleets and achieve interoperability with their weapons systems, which officials call "integrated by design".