Defence Minister Mircea Dusa stated today that, at the end of the month is supposed to be initiated the procedure to sign the intergovernmental agreement between Romania, Portugal and the United States of America for the purchase of 12 F-16s.

Mircea Dusa specified that multirole aircraft purchase amount, that will be paid in stages, includes a package that includes both training the staff and setting up military bases where the aircraft will operate.

"In the same package is included also the staff training, almost 100 people, from pilots, engineers and technical staff. Also, this package covers the setting of the land military bases where these aircraft will operate; finally, in this package weapons are included.

"We are on the last minute because MiGs aircraft consume their flight resources in 2017 and by then we should have the aircraft F 16 operational.

"That does not mean that the Romanian Army fighters must stop at the 12 planes, because however, to perform all the tasks we have to get somewhere around 48 aircraft", said Mircea Dusa.

The amount that Romania will pay for the 12 aircraft will be 628 million euros.


Translated by Alexandra-Diana Mircea