Romania awards $321 million contract for Turkish TB2 combat drones

MILAN — The Romanian Defence Ministry has awarded Turkish company Baykar a $321 million contract for TB2 drones, according to recently published documents .

The move comes after the the ministry announced its intention last August to procure three TB2 unmanned aerial system packages from the defense contractor for approximately $300 million, pending approval from Parliament.

“The UAS systems to be purchased will be intended for the Romanian Land Forces. Each system includes six aerial platforms with target engagement capabilities (a total of 18 drones). The program also involves the purchase of an initial logistical support package, necessary training and equipment,” the ministry said in a statement at the time.

This week, the Tenders Electronic Daily website, an online version of the Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union focused on public procurement projects, published the official contract award notice to the Turkish manufacturer for the production of these systems.

The company is to deliver the drones to the Romanian city Timisoara, where the country’s military used to operate the 93rd Air Base that housed MiG-23 fighters before their retirement. Once received, Romania will become the second European Union member after Poland to operate TB2s, and the third European NATO member to order them beyond Turkey.

These acquisitions are to contribute to ambitions laid out as part of the transformation of the Romanian Army until 2040, which seeks to provide forces with new military equipment and weapon systems that ensure flexibility, expanded situational awareness and increased firepower.

Romania intends to increase its defense budget to 2.5% of gross domestic product in 2023, Bloomberg reported. Last year, the country allocated roughly $6 billion for defense spending.

Earlier this month, a statement issued on the website of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said the government is also looking to buy F-35 fighter jets to modernize its Air Force.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——根据最近公布的文件，罗马尼亚国防部已授予土耳其公司Baykar一份价值3.21亿美元的TB2无人机合同。

此前，国防部于去年 8 月宣布，计划从国防承包商处采购三套 TB2 无人机系统，总价值约 3 亿美元，但尚待议会批准。

“此次采购的无人机系统将供罗马尼亚陆军使用。每个系统包含六个具备目标打击能力的空中平台（共计18架无人机）。该项目还包括采购初始后勤保障包、必要的培训和设备，”该部当时在一份声明中表示。

本周，专注于公共采购项目的欧盟官方公报增刊的在线版本——招标电子日报网站，发布了授予土耳其制造商生产这些系统的正式合同通知。

该公司将把无人机交付给罗马尼亚城市蒂米什瓦拉，该国军方曾在此设有第93空军基地，该基地曾驻扎过米格-23战斗机，直至其退役。接收无人机后，罗马尼亚将成为继波兰之后第二个装备TB2无人机的欧盟成员国，也是继土耳其之后第三个订购该型无人机的北约欧洲成员国。

这些采购将有助于实现罗马尼亚军队到 2040 年转型计划中制定的目标，即为部队提供新的军事装备和武器系统，以确保灵活性、扩大态势感知能力和增强火力。

据彭博社报道，罗马尼亚计划在2023年将国防预算提高到国内生产总值的2.5%。去年，该国国防开支约为60亿美元。

本月初，罗马尼亚总统克劳斯·约翰尼斯在其网站上发表声明称，政府也在考虑购买F-35战斗机，以实现空军现代化。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。