Romania to buy dozens of F-16 used aircraft from Norway to upgrade its air force

Foto: INQUAM/George Călin

Romania will buy 32 F-16 second-hand aircraft from Norway to upgrade its air force, the defense minister said Friday.

The jets are all more than 40 years old.

Unlike the current Romanian F-16s, the Norwegian models can launch intelligent bombs and long-range air-to-air missiles.

Defense Minister Vasile Dincu sent a letter to Parliament on Friday for lawmakers to formally sign off on the acquisition.

The aircraft belong to the Royal Norwegian Air Force, Digi24 reported.

The total price of the transaction is 454 million euros without tax. Some 354 million euros is for the aircraft and 100 million euros is for the logistic support and necessary modernization which will be carried out in the U.S.

The minister said Romania had discussed buying used F-16s from a number of NATO members states including, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Portugal and Greece.

Norway made the best offer, the minister said.

Norwegian planes have better avionics and weapons than the current Romanian F-16s, Worldakkam reported.

The configuration of Norwegian F-16 aircraft is M6.5.2. The 17 planes that are now equipped by the Romanian Air Force have the a lower M5.2R configuration.

These configurations are specific to F-16 MLU (Mid-Life Upgrade – such as Norwegian or Romanian) aircraft that have undergone a stage of modernization of the software, avionics and armament on board.

The M5.2R configuration includes the ability to integrate advanced weapons, such as smart bombs AGM-154 or EBGU-12) new GPS or communications systems to NATO standards.

The M6.5.2 Norwegian configuration includes the ability to launch other more modern intelligent bombs (LJDAM) or AMRAAM-120D long-range air-to-air missiles.

NATO’s 28 members pledged in 2014 to increase their defense spending to 2 percent of their gross domestic products by 2024. Romania reached the target in 2019.

Romania joined the military alliance in 2004.

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