Romania Misses Out on 11 F-16 Jets in 2025 Due to Priority Given to Ukraine

Romania has not yet received 11 F-16 fighter jets from Norway that were scheduled for delivery by the end of 2025.

According to the Defense Romania, the delay is due to manufacturers prioritizing the supply of spare parts for Ukraine. As a result, the completion of Romania’s F-16 deliveries has been postponed to 2026.

So far, Romania has received 21 out of the planned 32 aircraft. Sixteen F-16s have been assigned to the 48th Fighter Squadron at the 71st Air Base “General Emanoil Ionescu” in Câmpia Turzii. The remaining five aircraft are in service with the 571st Fighter Squadron at the 57th Air Base “Captain Aviator Constantin Cantacuzino” in Mihail Kogălniceanu.

Romania did not put pressure on the supplier to speed up contract execution in 2025. This position was taken because the country has already received a substantial number of F-16s, which is sufficient given the current pace of pilot training.

In November 2022, Romania purchased 32 F-16 MLU (Block 15) aircraft from Norway for €388 million.

In addition to the Norwegian F-16s, Romania also operates 12 fighters delivered between 2017 and 2021 under a contract with Portugal. Furthermore, the Netherlands sold 18 F-16 aircraft for the symbolic price of €1 for a training center in Borcea, where pilots – including Ukrainian pilots – undergo training.