Romania to buy 32 used F-16 jets from Norway

The Romanian government is set to buy 32 second-hand F-16 aircraft from Norway, with a draft law approved on Thursday, reported Xinhua.

The planes will be delivered in condition to operate for at least 10 years, during the transition period to the 5th generation F-35 aircraft, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The estimated funds for the acquisition are around 454 million euros, including 354 million euros to Norway for the two fighter squadrons, and 100 million euros to the United States for logistical support and specific equipment needed to modernize the aircraft.

The Norwegian F-16s have served the national air defense for over 40 years until they were replaced by the F-35 at the beginning of the year.

Currently, the Romanian Air Force has 17 F-16s bought from Portugal since 2016. These have been used to carry out national and NATO missions, alongside some 20 aging MiG-21 LanceR aircraft. The latter are scheduled to retire in one year.

Romania joined NATO in 2004. President Klaus Iohannis announced in March that the country needs to increase defense spending to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product, up from the current 2 percent.