The United States government has authorized the possible sale of an additional Patriot air defense system to equip the Romanian Armed Forces. This is reflected in one of the most recent notifications sent by the State Department to the U.S. Congress for the approval of the transaction under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
Given its strategic position on the Black Sea and with the goal of strengthening its air defense capabilities, Romania has made progress in recent years in acquiring Patriot air defense systems from the United States.
The original procurement process began in 2017, when the State Department authorized the sale of a batch of Patriot PAC-2 systems and missiles valued at $3.9 billion. By the end of 2023, the Romanian Armed Forces conducted the first live fire with one of the acquired systems, and in June 2024, they placed their second system into operation.
However, in the context of the support provided by the European Union and NATO to Ukraine, Romania is expected to transfer one of its Patriot systems to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This system is currently in the process of being replaced, as confirmed by Raytheon earlier this year.
Against this backdrop, and as reported on April 28 by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), Bucharest has requested to purchase an additional Patriot air defense system from the U.S. government. The transaction, valued at $280 million, lists RTX Corporation as the main contractor.
The package includes all components that make up a Patriot air defense system, consisting of:
- 1 AN/MPQ-65 radar (Configuration 3+ Increment 3)
- 1 AN/MSQ-132 Engagement Control Station
- 2 M903 launch stations
- 1 EPP III electric power plant
Other items are also included, such as modification kits for launch stations, conversion kits for PAC-3 MSE (Missile Segment Enhancement) launchers, generators, vehicles, spare parts, technical documentation, and several additional elements detailed in the official notification.
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Romania has already donated the Patriot Missile Battery to ukraine, and Ukraine has already confirmed in late 2024 that it was integrated in it’s defense network.
Thanks for covering this