Romania gets 18 Dutch F-16s for price of one euro: Here’s why
Photo: Ionuț Mușteanu (Getty Images)
The Romanian Ministry of Defense has signed a contract with the government of the Netherlands to purchase 18 F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets along with the necessary equipment, Romanian Defense Minister Ionuț Mușteanu announced this on Facebook.
According to him, these aircraft will be used exclusively for training purposes at the European F-16 Training Center in Fetești. The center has already become a regional hub for training pilots from NATO member states and allied countries.
Mușteanu noted that the agreement was concluded at a symbolic price — just 1 euro.
"This is a smart investment in training, cooperation, and the future," he emphasized.
Romania will cover the costs of training Ukrainian pilots on Western F-16 fighter jets at the Fetești airbase from the state budget. The training will be financed through the country’s Ministry of National Defense (MApN).
F-16s for Ukraine
In 2023, several NATO member states decided to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and train Ukrainian pilots to operate them.
According to Politico, Ukraine had been pressing European countries and the United States to accelerate efforts to train its Air Force pilots on F-16s, as Kyiv was dissatisfied with the pace and scale of pilot training in the West.
In May this year, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken stated that Belgium would deliver its F-16s to Ukraine earlier than initially planned. However, he recently said that Belgium will be able to provide additional F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine at best next year.
This is due to the fact that Belgium has only recently received its new-generation F-35 fighter jets.
The defense minister stated that the new F-35 fighter jets still needed to become operational, which, in his view, would take approximately one to one and a half years. Once Belgium reached operational capability, the country would be able to hand over its F-16s to Ukraine.
