NATO member Romania is very keen to acquire Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Tuesday.
Regardless of whether the sale goes through or not, Romanian Defense Minister Vasile Dincu said he wants to step up weapons purchases from the Jewish state.
Earlier this year, Romania scrambled two F-16 Fighting Falcon jets to intercept a foreign military aircraft, the country’s defense ministry has said.
The intercepted target was identified as a Ukrainian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27 air superiority fighter jet. It was directed to land at a military base near the city of Bacau in eastern Romania.
The ministry said the pilot of the Ukrainian jet surrendered himself to the Romanian authorities. Bucharest is assessing the legal ramifications of the incident. The defense ministry said it would provide further details about the situation later.
In March 2022, A Romanian MiG-21 LanceR fighter jet disappeared from the radar in the southeastern region of Dobrogea, the country’s Defense Ministry has said. The incident was followed by the crash of an IAR 330 Puma helicopter, dispatched to locate the jet.
The fighter aircraft, which is an Israeli-upgraded version of the iconic 1960’s Soviet jet, disappeared after taking off and heading to patrol the coastal region bordering Ukraine. A search and rescue mission was scrambled, with the helicopter dispatched to find the jet.
The helicopter, however, disappeared some 20 minutes into its mission as well, the military has said. Before the communications were lost, its pilot reported extremely bad weather conditions in the area.
Romania’s interest in the deal, which would make it the first NATO country to field the Israeli system, was attributed by Haaretz to anonymous sources. However, the news follows a visit by Dincu to Israel last week.
Dincu did not mention the Iron Dome in an interview with the newspaper, but said Bucharest wishes to improve our military and security cooperation with Israel in many areas.
We want to learn from Israel how to improve [our] military, he explained. Because of its 70-year experience against Arab states, Israel has knowledge of the subject. Funded by Israel and the USA, the Iron Dome was first deployed by Israel in 2011.
It most recently saw action during Israel’s three-day operation against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in August, with Israel claiming that its radars and missile batteries detected and intercepted 97% of rockets launched from the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
Despite its apparent efficacy, Israel has not managed to find many foreign customers for the system. While a number of nations – including Canada, Finland, India, and Singapore – have bought its radar component.
Only the USA and Azerbaijan are confirmed to have bought its missile batteries, with the US Army buying only two. Cyprus reportedly agreed to buy the system last month, while Germany is also considering acquiring it.
Romania’s interest in Israeli weaponry is also financial. Romanian factories already manufacture components for Israeli drones, turrets and other equipment, and Dincu wants to expand on this, and to sell Israeli arms to Romania’s NATO allies.
As the US jointly developed the Iron Dome, any sale of the system to a foreign country needs Washington’s approval.
RT. com / ABC Flash Point News 2022.
This idiot was paid by Zio-swamp crap to state it, I wonder how much he got for such drivel, “mickey mouse” missiles from GAZA proved that is ineffective, how will fair with RF hyper speed missiles?