U.S. greenlights $7.2B F‑35 sale to Romania, marking major upgrade
The U.S. Department of State has approved the potential sale of 32 F-35A aircraft to Romania, valued at up to $7.2 billion. Here are the details of Romania's significant purchase and the performance of these aircraft.
The U.S. Department of State has approved the sale to Romania under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) procedure. The sale involves 32 F-35A aircraft at an estimated cost of up to $7.2 billion. Notably, the figures quoted under FMS are usually higher than the actual contract values.
In addition to the aircraft, Romania will acquire 33 Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines, Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) equipment, AN/PYQ-10 cryptographic devices, a weapons package, and logistical support. This includes spare parts, equipment necessary for aircraft maintenance, and training for Romanian Air Force personnel. Currently, they operate former Norwegian F-16AM/BM aircraft, which enabled them to retire the MiG-21 LanceR from service.
F-35A - the stealthy successor to the F-16
The F-35A Lightning II is a multirole aircraft distinguished by its stealth technology. Originally, the F-35A was designed as a strike aircraft to complement the air superiority fighter F-22 Raptor, but it eventually evolved into a versatile multirole machine.
Apart from its stealthiness, the F-35A is notable for its highly advanced sensor package. In addition to the AN/APG-81 or AN/APG-85 radar with an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA), it includes the AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System (EODAS), which comprises six infrared sensors providing 360-degree detection of various objects. These sensors enable the aircraft to shoot missiles at a target located behind it.
This advantage helps mitigate certain drawbacks of the design, such as the limited capability to carry weapons and relatively low flight speed. For instance, the aircraft's internal bays can hold up to six AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air guided missiles or, alternatively, two B61-12 or JDAM-ER bombs.
The second issue is the maximum flight speed of Mach 1.6 and the inability to sustain supersonic speed without using an afterburner, known as supercruise. Such speed does not increase the range of launched missiles, unlike aircraft that can reach speeds up to Mach 2.25.
The approval was announced at 10 AM Eastern Time.
