Romania formally joins international F-35 programme

Romania is to acquire 32 F-35As (pictured) to augment its F-16 combat aircraft, signing an LOA on 21 November. (Royal Norwegian Air Force)

Romania has formally joined the international programme for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), signing a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA) for 32 jets on 21 November.

Announced by the manufacturer, the LOA came weeks after the US government approved the sale of the ‘fifth-generation' strike fighter to Romania on 13 September.

At that time, the US Defense Security and Cooperation Agency (DSCA) stated that the approval covers the conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) F-35A variant of the aircraft, along with spares, related equipment, training, and support for an estimated USD7.2 billion. Weapons were not included in this notification and will follow at a later date.

With the LOA now signed, detailed negotiations will now begin ahead of a contract being finalised.

As previously outlined by the Romanian Ministry of National Defence (MND), this LOA covers Phase 1 of the country's plan to acquire two squadrons worth of F-35As in the near term, with the longer-term Phase 2 to follow in later years, concerned with an additional squadron of 16 jets for a final fleet of 48 aircraft. The timeline, content, and final value of Phase 2 will be determined after the procedure for awarding the procurement contract has been approved by the Romanian government.

The MND has said that its intention is to field the first F-35 squadron after 2030. Romania could receive its aircraft from the primary Fort Worth line in Texas or from the Cameri facility in Italy.