Israel is poised to sell Spyder air defense systems to Romania for approximately €2 billion, according Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
The deal according to a June 28 statement includes the supply of launchers, interceptors, radar systems, training programs and logistical support.
The Israeli company said a first order under the full framework agreement was signed last week and delivery of the systems is expected to begin within three years as it achieves ” initial operational capability based on extensive industrial cooperation and local manufacturing in Romania,” a statement says.
The deal is the largest contract in the company’s history and comes amid rising tensions in Eastern Europe over the Russia-Ukraine war.
Romania, a NATO member, has seen several incidents of crashing drones as a spillover from the war near its border.
Early June, a drone exploded in the Black Sea port city of Constanța, and days earlier, a Russian drone hit a residential building in the city of Galați, near the Ukrainian border, injuring two.
The Spyder sale came about after Rafael won the Romanian Ministry of Defense’s tender for air-defense systems capable of intercepting drones, cruise missiles, guided munitions, airplanes and helicopters.
It’s a mobile air defense system developed based on the company’s air-to-air missiles: the radar-guided Derby, and the heat-seeking Python 4 and Python 5, combined with MMR radars manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries.
The system is capable of launching up to four interceptors simultaneously, reaching a maximum range of 40 kilometers and a maximum interception altitude of 12 kilometers, the company website says.
