Romania has formally joined the Lockheed Martin F-35 programme as the 20th buyer of the popular fifth-generation fighter.
Bucharest signed an official letter of offer and acceptance with airframer Lockheed on 21 November, covering 32 examples of the conventional take-off and landing F-35A variant.
The commitment comes two months after Romania received critical export approval from Washington for an F-35 acquisition. A notice from the US Defense and Security Cooperation Agency valued the package of 32 aircraft and associated support at $7.2 billion.
“We are pleased to welcome Romania into the F-35 enterprise,” says US Air Force Lieutenant General Mike Schmidt, director of the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO).
“The integration of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft into the Romanian air force will significantly strengthen NATO’s deterrence capabilities by providing unmatched strategic, operational and tactical advantages,” he adds.
The JPO manages F-35 procurement for all three US operators and all foreign military sales customers. Schmidt says his team is committed to providing “comprehensive support” for the pilots and maintainers of all F-35 operators.
Lockheed praised the decision by Bucharest, with the aerospace giant touting its three-decade relationship with the former Soviet Bloc nation.
“The F-35’s growing presence across Europe demonstrates alliance-based deterrence and is setting the foundation for NATO and allied nations’ next generation air power capability,” said Mara Motherway, vice-president, Strategy and Business Development, Lockheed Martin.
Romania already operates another Lockheed fighter – the fourth-generation F-16A, with 21 examples in service. Lockheed says the new low-observable F-35s will “integrate seamlessly” with Romania’s existing fleet of F-16 jets.
“The acquisition of the F-35 further fortifies Romania’s national security and deterrent capability,” says Bridget Lauderdale, the general manager of Lockheed’s F-35 programme.
In 2023, Bucharest and Lockheed, with the support of the government of the Netherlands, launched the European F-16 Training Center in Romania. That site has been used to train both Romanian and Ukrainian pilots on the multi-role Viper fighter.
The F-35 deal with Romania deal continues a string of new orders for Lockheed, despite long-running issues with certificating the latest version of prolific single-engined fighter.
Greece signed on for 20 F-35As in July, with options for 20 more fighters. Earlier in the year, Singapore added eight F-35As to its existing order for 12 short take-off and landing F-35Bs.
With more than 1,000 examples delivered, data from the 2025 FlightGlobal World Air Forces guide indicates the F-35 is already amongst the most widely-used military aircraft on the planet.
Both Lockheed and the Pentagon have positioned the highly popular F-35 as a tool for both enhancing the USA’s security influence around the globe and boosting multinational interoperability throughout Washington’s complex web of treaty allies across Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
“The F-35’s growing presence across Europe demonstrates alliance-based deterrence and is setting the foundation for NATO and allied nations’ next generation air power capability,” says Mara Motherway, Lockheed’s vice-president of strategy and business development.
Outgoing US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has previously described the single-engined fighter as “one of the best aircraft in the inventory”.
In addition to offering survivability against modern air defences and a powerful suite of onboard sensors and communications equipment, the standard F-35A variant offers an initial purchase price that is roughly equal to, or in some cases cheaper, than fourth-generation competitors, including the Saab Gripen E/F, Dassault Rafale and Boeing F-15EX.
Lockheed says the Lightning II represents the “most cost-effective solution for Romania”. A new F-35A costs around $80 million, although the STOVL and aircraft carrier versions of the jet are significantly more expensive.
While Lockheed’s competitors often argue their aircraft offer lower operating and sustainment costs than the complex stealth fighter, the F-35 has trounced its rivals in international fighter procurement competitions around the world.
