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,” says Mara Motherway, vice-president, strategy and business development.
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 (STOVL) F-35Bs.
With more than 1,000 examples delivered, data from the 2025 FlightGlobal World Air Forces directory 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.
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 Aviation 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 C-model 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.
