Romanian lawmakers vote to approve $1.1 billion Abrams acquisition

WARSAW, Poland — The Commission for Defense, Public Order and National Security in Romania’s Chamber of Deputies, the parliament’s lower chamber, has approved the National Defence Ministry’s request to allow the purchase of 54 used M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 tanks from the United States.

The envisioned purchase of 54 tanks along with accompanying gear and services is estimated to be worth about 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion), according to official documents obtained by local news site DefenseRomania.ro.

As Romania’s ruling tripartite coalition holds a large majority in both chambers, a relevant bill to authorize the acquisition is expected to be adopted by the parliament shortly.

Manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems, the Abrams are to enable Romania’s land forces to replace some of their outdated Soviet-times tanks.

The development comes as the Romanian government is accelerating work on a number of procurements, including plans to buy new armored vehicles, missile systems, warships, 155-mm howitzers and the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet in the aftermath of Russia’s attack against Ukraine.

Owing to the planned purchase, Romania could become the second operator of the U.S.-made tank in Eastern Europe after the Polish government signed a deal worth some $4.75 billion to acquire 250 M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 tanks in April 2022. Last January, Poland’s Ministry of National Defence placed a second order, valued at about $1.4 billion, to buy 116 used M1A1 Abrams from the United States.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——罗马尼亚众议院（议会下院）国防、公共秩序和国家安全委员会已批准国防部的请求，允许从美国购买 54 辆二手 M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 坦克。

据当地新闻网站DefenseRomania.ro获得的官方文件显示，预计采购54辆坦克以及配套装备和服务，总价值约为10亿欧元（11亿美元）。

由于罗马尼亚执政的三党联盟在两院都占据绝对多数席位，预计议会很快就会通过一项授权此次收购的相关法案。

这些由通用动力陆地系统公司制造的艾布拉姆斯坦克，将使罗马尼亚陆军能够替换一些过时的苏联时代坦克。

在俄罗斯袭击乌克兰之后，罗马尼亚政府正在加快多项采购工作，包括计划购买新型装甲车、导弹系统、军舰、155毫米榴弹炮和F-35闪电II战斗机。

由于计划中的采购，罗马尼亚可能成为东欧第二个使用美国制造坦克的国家。此前，波兰政府于2022年4月签署了一项价值约47.5亿美元的协议，采购250辆M1A2艾布拉姆斯SEPv3坦克。去年1月，波兰国防部又向美国订购了第二批价值约14亿美元的116辆二手M1A1艾布拉姆斯坦克。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。