Elbit Systems has signed four contracts with the Romanian military to upgrade helicopters, provide electronic warfare technology, deliver systems to support search and rescue operations, and supply avionics suites for training aircraft.
The announcement on March 14 comes after the Israeli firm inked two other deals with European customers in early March, one of which was to supply Romania with unmanned turrets, remote weapon stations and mortar systems, Defense News reported.
“These contracts extend Elbit Systems’ track record delivering successful projects to the Romanian Armed Forces, including follow-on contracts awarded after Elbit Systems first was contracted to upgrade helicopters and aircraft,” Ran Kril, executive vice president of international marketing and business development for Elbit, said in a statement.
The company declined to comment on the contract values.
The conflict in Ukraine has been a driving factor for Romania’s procurement efforts, according to recent reports.
NATO deployed airborne warning and control system aircraft to Romania in January, and in February a Russian missile fired at Ukraine crossed over into Moldova, Romania’s neighbor, and came within 22 miles of the border of Romania.
Romania’s defense ministry said that “the Romanian authorities have applied all standard procedures since the moment the target was detected until the complete clarification of this situation. Furthermore, at 10:38 a.m., two Romanian Air Forces’ MiG-21 LanceR Aircraft of the NATO-led Air Policing Service, which were executing a flight exercise at that moment, were redirected to the Northern area of Romania in order to increase the reaction options.”
