Modern equipment for the Romanian army

Romania will purchase Patriot ground-to-air missiles from the United States

Roxana Vasile, 13.11.2017, 14:03

The Romanian Army is undergoing an ample modernization process. The bill on the purchase of ground-to-air missiles from the United States is under Parliament debate as of Monday. It will be first discussed by the Senate, to then reach the Chamber of Deputies. The document provides for the purchase of seven missile defence systems, of which four will equip the Romanian Air Force and three will go to the Romanian Land Forces. The contract is worth 3.9 billion dollars. The first system, which costs 764 million US dollars, is to be purchased by the end of this year, and the Romanian Defence Minister Mihai Fifor hopes it will be rendered operational in 2019.

Mihai Fifor: “The bill is to be debated by the Standing Bureau of the Senate and it will be discussed under an emergency procedure in the Senate. We hope that the Senate will have endorsed it within two weeks, and it will then go to the Chamber of Deputies. We are prepared and the minute the Romanian Parliament approves the bill, we will be ready to pay for the first Patriot system, which will most likely become operational in 2019”.

Previously debated by the Government, the bill also stipulates that ensuring a proper ground-based air defence capability is a matter of national interest, because it contributes to ensuring national and regional security and it helps strengthen the Strategic Partnership with the United States. As regards missile defence, the Romanian army is currently counting on US and Soviet missiles, which date back to the Vietnam war. In terms of military ground and air equipment, the 3+ hardware and software configuration of the Patriot missiles that are to be purchased from the US is first class.

The Patriot system has been manufactured for 40 years now, and it has been continuously upgraded and developed. It is equipped with last generation missiles, built in particular to ensure protection against ballistic missiles. Each of them weighs 350 kg, can reach a speed of 5,000 km/h, has a range of 20 km and can go as high as 24,000 meters. The system is also equipped with complex radar which can detect in record time a missile shot by an enemy and is capable of reacting to threats within mere seconds.

Romania will thus join a small group of countries whose armies are equipped with Patriot systems, namely the US, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain, Israel, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. Together, all the partner countries are continuously investing in upgrades and tests, in order to stay one step ahead of any security threats.