Romania announced Monday it has signed a deal with an Israeli company to buy six anti-aircraft systems, as the NATO member and Ukraine neighbour looks to boost its defence posture.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Romania has gained in strategic importance and exposure to defence risks, with Russian drone fragments regularly falling on its soil.
Under a framework agreement signed with Israeli defence company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems last week, Romania is set to purchase six integrated Shorad-Vshorad anti-aircraft systems for more than two billion euros ($2.3 billion).
Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system is one of Rafael’s best-known products.
According to the deal, three further contracts will need to be signed under the framework agreement, which runs for seven years.
The procurement deal, which was rubber-stamped by Romania’s parliament in 2020, “aims to equip the army with advanced weapon systems designed to protect against air threats, including drones and cruise missiles”, the eastern European country’s defence ministry said in a statement.
In a recent interview on public television, Defence Minister Ionut Mosteanu likened the anti-aircraft systems to “the Iron Dome… when the Iranians attack”, saying “that’s Shorad-Vshorad and it protects Tel Aviv”.
In 2024, Romania signed a deal with the United States to purchase 32 F-35 fighter jets for an estimated $6.5 billion.
The Black Sea nation has been striving for years to bolster its defence forces and replace its ageing Soviet-era equipment.
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© Agence France-Presse
