Romania resumes the use of its military MIG-21 LanceRs

The Romanian Air Force has resumed the use of its military MIG-21 LanceRs.

The Ministry of Defense of Romania reported about this.

The use of military MIG-21 LanceRs has been extended in Romania until May 15, 2023.

It was emphasized that aircrafts of this type will be decommissioned after this date by the Romanian Air Force.

However, in April it was reported that Romania had stopped the use of its military MIG-21 LanceRs.

At the same time, measures were taken to speed up the purchase of 32 F-16 fighter aircrafts from Norway.

The F-16 in the next period will be used to form two more squadrons of the Romanian Air Force.

The bill approving the purchase is in the process of confirmation and will be submitted to the Romanian parliament as quickly as possible.

“Based on the decision of the Supreme Council of National Defense for the approval of the memorandum on decommissioning the MiG-21 LanceR aircraft and for the accelerated replacement with F-16 aircraft, the flight activities involving MiG-21 LanceR aircraft were resumed starting with Monday, May 23, for approximately one year,” the Romanian Ministry of Defense announced.

Air Force Strengthening

In March, the president announced that Romania needs to increase defense spending up to 2.5% of gross domestic product. Romania, which joined NATO in 2004, has said that it plans to spend a total of EUR 9.8 billion by 2026 to enhance its defense capabilities.

In 2013, the Romanian Ministry of Defense signed a contract to supply the first 12 F-16 fighter aircraft from the Portuguese Air Force to replace the obsolete MiG-21. The aircrafts were delivered from September 2016 to September 2017. In December 2019, a contract worth EUR 130 million was signed for the supply of five additional fighters. The first pair of planes arrived in Romania in August 2020, and the fifth in March 2021.

At the end of December 2021, the Romanian Parliament gave the Ministry of Defense preliminary permission to start the procedure of purchasing 32 F-16 fighter aircraft from the Norwegian Air Force, as well as a package of equipment and services for their modernization in the United States. The purchase budget is about EUR 454 million. The Preliminary cost of the aircrafts is estimated at EUR 354 million, logistical support and the supply of special equipment for modernization from the United States – EUR 100 million.