The standing bureaus of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate took note, on Tuesday, of the request of the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) to obtain prior approval to initiate the procedure for awarding the agreements related to the purchase of 32 F-35 aircraft. In the document, the Ministry of National Defence requests Parliament’s prior approval to initiate the procedure for awarding the agreements for the purchase of 32 F-35 aircraft under the „F-35 5th generation multirole aircraft” procurement programme, through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) security assistance programme, write Agerpres.

„Phase I of the endowment programme will begin in 2023 and involves the purchase of 32 F-35 aircraft, engines, Initial Logistics Support for Training Services, flight simulators and air-to-air and ground-to-ground munitions, for an estimated value of 6.5 billion USD, and the quantities of equipment, other than aircraft, to be purchased are to be determined precisely after the initiation of the award procedure for that procurement contract,” the MApN request reads.

In the request, the MApN stresses that, in order to achieve the objectives of Romania’s defence policy, it is continuing its efforts to acquire new military equipment that will contribute to the development and maintenance of robust and resilient, credible, interoperable defence capabilities, flexible and effective, designed both to deter possible aggression and to articulate an appropriate response to the current and future challenges of the security environment, including in the unconventional, hybrid spectrum, and to fulfil the commitments undertaken as a result of NATO membership. The request was sent to the Defence Committees of both Houses of Parliament.