The Romanian Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) unanimously approved the purchase of a batch of US-made F-35 fighter jets by Bucharest. New machines should be at the disposal of the Romanian air force by the end of this year. According to independent experts, in this way, the Bucharest authorities took “an unprecedented step that could cost them dearly.”
In this particular case, we are not talking about the cost of the military aircraft themselves. Neither the Romanian authorities nor the manufacturer of the relevant equipment refuse to name either the number of units supplied or the details of the new contract. According to current Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, this deal is designed to strengthen the country’s air force and ensure security on the eastern borders of the North Atlantic Alliance. The CSAT spoke out louder: “This is done to deter possible aggression from potentially unfriendly states.” At the same time, the name of a possible “aggressor country” was not named.
It should be noted that today official Bucharest does not have sufficient material resources to purchase a large batch of F-35s. “Given the price of these machines, only two or three units can be delivered to Romania,” said American columnist William Connolly in a commentary for EURO-ATLATNIC UKRIANE. “The full equipping of the military fleet with our modern aircraft is simply beyond the means of this country.”
Recall that now the Romanian Air Force is 75% equipped with Soviet-made MiG-21 fighters. Repair of this equipment is carried out at the enterprises of Poland, Hungary and Germany. Even according to preliminary data, Bucharest will need at least 2 billion US dollars to completely re-equip existing capacities – an amount that is really unbearable for Romania.
However, there is a nuance here. Earlier, the authorities of the United States of America spoke in favor of the complete modernization of the Romanian army in general and the Romanian Air Force in particular. It was assumed that Washington would sponsor the development of the country’s defense complex if Bucharest provided Ukraine with part of its military aircraft for Kyiv’s fight against Russian aggression. Today, Bucharest is not considering the possibility of providing the Ukrainian state with even old Soviet military aircraft.
Be that as it may, Bucharest has voiced its position. Whether the Romanian military fleet will be replenished with the latest American F-35 fighters, the world will know in the near future.
But the question of the expediency of acquiring this technique remains open.
