Minister of National Defence, Gabriel Les said on Thursday that the ministry he runs is considering “to advance the lines of action for the purchase of a second squadron of F-16 aircraft,” according to a press release sent to Agerpres.
Les said that the ministry is pursuing a better prioritization of the procurement programs aimed at the Air Forces in order “to have a balance between running programs and new ones.”
“Ensuring the capacity of credible deterrence and defence of the airspace, further modernization and development of aerodrome infrastructure, fulfilling the commitments assumed by Romania in its relationship with the NATO, the EU and the allied partners remain the major objectives regarding the Air Forces. We are considering to advance the directions of action for the procurement of the F-16 second squadron,” asserted Les in the self-assessment activity sitting of the Air Forces Staff on 2016.
He added that Romania has “major responsibilities” as EU, NATO border country.
“From this perspective, through the multirole aircraft program of the Air Force, it was not made a simple purchase, but it was the achievement of a military capability,” specified the Minister of Defense.
In his turn, the quoted source adds, the Air Forces’ Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Laurian Anastasof revealed that the Air Forces have intensified efforts to adapt to current requirements, the defence of the Romanian airspace and of the NATO joint space.