Romania plans to purchase three systems of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from the Turkish company Baykar along with logistics support in the amount of about $ 300 million. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of Romania.
The Ministry reported that in early August, it turned to the parliament with a request to approve the tender for the purchase of a total of 18 drones of Bayraktar TB2 for the Ground Forces of Romania as part of the modernization of weapons used in the Armed Forces.
“The purchase, the approval of which is required, will begin in 2022, depending on the financial capabilities,” the ministry said in a statement.
In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the President of Romania, who is a member of NATO since 2004, Klaus Johannis said in March that in 2023 the country will increase defense costs from 2% to 2.5% of the gross domestic product. In the country with a 650-kilometer border with Ukraine, US anti-missile defense systems are located, and this year the NATO combat group has been deployed on its territory.