Summary: Romania is bolstering its air force capabilities by replacing Soviet-era MiG-21s with advanced F-35 and F-16 fighters. In 2023, Romania committed to acquiring 32 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIs, with plans to add 16 more to form three full squadrons by the decade's end.

-Meanwhile, to bridge the gap, Romania has bought refurbished F-16 Fighting Falcons from Norway. These aircraft will join others previously purchased from Portugal, enhancing Romania’s defense along NATO's eastern flank, particularly amidst regional security challenges.

-This strategic modernization aims to maintain a credible defense and transition towards more advanced aerial combat technologies.

Romania Upgrades Air Force with F-35s and Refurbished F-16s Amidst Regional Tensions

NATO member-state Romania is steadily modernizing its air force, replacing Soviet-era MiG-21 fighters with more capable aircraft. Bucharest announced in 2023 that it would procure thirty-two Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIs in a first phase of acquisition. It will later secure an additional 16 aircraft, assembling three full squadrons of the fifth-generation multirole fighters.

While the aircraft are set to arrive by the end of the decade, Romania in the meantime will operate refurbished F-16 Fighting Falcons that it acquired from NATO ally Norway. Romania formally requested the second-hand Lockheed Martin-made fighters in 2021 and completed the order last year in a deal worth $418 million.

The first batch of the Fighting Falcons landed in November and joined the seventeen F-16AM/BM fighters the Romanian Air Force already operated – these were purchased from Portugal. The remainder of the 26 fighter jets, along with parts and services, are set to be delivered by 2025.

"The sale of the F-16 will strengthen and modernize the defenses of Romania, an allied nation along NATO's eastern flank that is also a neighbor of Ukraine," Norwegian Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram said at the official handover of the aircraft last year.

The Fighting Falcons will be operated by the 48th Fighter Squadron from Air Base 71 at Campia Turzii in central Romania. They will take part in missions under the Permanent Combat Service – Air Police (SLP-PA) under NATO command.

"Through the gradual arrival, throughout this year and the next, of the 32 multi-role F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, which will endow two more squadrons of the Air Force, Romania is strengthening its capabilities of air defense at a level adapted to the security challenges in the region," said Romanian Minister of National Defense Angel Tilvar. "These aircraft will play an important role in maintaining a credible Allied defense posture and deterrence of any aggression on the eastern flank and, just as importantly, will ensure the transition for our air forces towards the fifth generation era – the endowment with F-35 aircraft."

Since it first entered service in 1979, the Fighting Falcon has engaged in more than 400,000 combat hours and has logged more than 19 million flight hours. The F-16 has been adapted for several missions, including air-to-air fighting, ground attack, and electronic warfare. It has proven to be a highly maneuverable combat fighter, and its combat radius exceeds that of its potential threats.

While the U.S. Air Force is no longer acquiring the aircraft, Lockheed Martin continues to build the F-16 for foreign customers around the world. The F-16 remains the most successful, combat-proven multi-role jet fighter ever produced, with more than 4,600 aircraft built since production was approved in 1976.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu 

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. You can email the author: [email protected].

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