Romania wants to become a customer of the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II 5th generation fighter as soon as possible, despite the aircraft’s delivery deadline being in the distant 2030s.
According to Reuters, the country’s government said it was waiting until the end of the year to sign a definitive agreement with the United States.
So far there is a preliminary agreement that includes 32 F-35s and logistics, maintenance, training, flight simulators and ammunition services.
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With a 650km border with Ukraine, Romania has been hit by drone fragments and weapons since the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Meanwhile, the Romanian Air Force has been replacing its obsolete Cold War-era fighter jets like the MiG-21 with second-hand F-16 jets.
The country already operates 17 F-16s purchased from Portugal and is about to receive another 32 planes from Norway.
Romania has also been used as a training base for Ukrainian pilots, who will also soon fly the Lockheed Martin jet.
