Arms export regulators in the USA have approved Romania to purchase up to 32 Lockheed Martin F-35A conventional take-off and landing stealth fighters.
The US Defense Security and Cooperation Agency, which oversees sales of military hardware overseas, said on 13 September that the $7.2 billion aircraft sale had received the required assent from the US Department of State.
“The proposed sale will improve Romania’s capability to meet current and future threats by further equipping it to conduct self-defence and regional security missions while enhancing interoperability with the United States and other NATO members,” the state department said in the approval notice.
Export approval from Washington clears the way for Romania to join the ever-growing club of nations operating the single-engined stealth fighter. Including Romania, there are now 20 countries already operating or in the process of acquiring the advanced F-35 – including more than a dozen of Romania’s fellow NATO members.
Should Bucharest reach a final set of terms with manufacturer Lockheed, it will still not receive aircraft for several years. In financial disclosures from June, the defence airframer reported an order backlog of 373 F-35s.
Lockheed currently produces 156 of the jets annually, primarily in Fort Worth, Texas.
The company only recently resumed deliveries of new-build F-35s in July, after a year-long hiatus related to certification issues with the latest Technical Refresh 3 configuration of the fighter.
Lockheed has now delivered more than 1,000 F-35s across the fifth-generation jet’s three type variants.
