Aircraft
Romania Selects Used F-16s as a Stop-gap Measure
In late March the Romanian defense council approved the acquisition of used Lockheed Martin F-16s as a stop-gap measure to fill the air force’s ne
Romania is no stranger to the F-16, having hosted U.S. Air Force aircraft during the 2006 Viper Lance exercise, in which F-16s flew against Romania’s Lancer fighters. Here F-16s from the 52nd Fighter Wing operate from Mihail Kogaliniceanu Air Base.
Romania is no stranger to the F-16, having hosted U.S. Air Force aircraft during the 2006 Viper Lance exercise, in which F-16s flew against Romania’s Lancer fighters. Here F-16s from the 52nd Fighter Wing operate from Mihail Kogaliniceanu Air Base.

In late March the Romanian defense council approved the acquisition of used Lockheed Martin F-16s as a stop-gap measure to fill the air force’s new fighter requirements. The aircraft concerned are 24 U.S. Air Force F-16C/D Block 25 aircraft that are currently stored in the service’s aircraft “boneyard” at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson, Ariz. The U.S. Air Force will provide the 25-year-old aircraft for free, but Romania will pay approximately $1.3 billion for them to be overhauled and upgraded, in addition to personnel training. At the same time, Romania announced plans to follow up at a later date with a purchase of 24 new-build F-16C/D Block 50/52 aircraft, and ultimately seeks to acquire 24 F-35 Lightning IIs to replace the older F-16s.

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