Romania To Buy 12 Second-Hand F-16 Jet Fighter Aircraft From Portugal

Romania plans to procure 12 used F-16 jet fighter aircraft from Portugal in a five year contract worth $600 million.

Corneliu Dobritoiu, Romanian Defense Minister, said, “We shall come up with a decision draft within CSAT. We are competing, with the Bulgarians. Referring to the acquisition, I assure you, all Romania's citizens and the EU partners included, that Romania observes absolutely all EU directives for this acquisition, to the letter”.

The European Commission has demanded that the aircraft be bought within an intergovernmental agreement with the military technique in use.

Earlier in August, Dobritoiu said that Romania could buy F-16s from Portugal after experts evaluated their technical state. The aircraft were found to be in “a very good” condition.

The aircraft will be presented after the pilots’ training is over in 2016.

New investigations into suspect purchase of Navy submarines

Portuguese authorities will carry out new investigations into the purchase of two submarines from Germany for the Portuguese Navy in 2004 which has been clouded by suspicions of graft, the criminal investigation agency DCIAP said.

The agency said in a press statement that it would request the cooperation of the current and immediate past defence ministers, adding that “historic” documents related to the submarines’ public tender, contract signing, defence offset agreements, and financing remained “missing”.

The defence minister at the time of the purchase, current Foreign Minister Paulo Portas, the leader of the coalition government’s junior partner, dismissed media reports earlier this month of missing documentation.

Such reports, Portas said at the time, “emerge when it’s convenient and submerge when they’re no longer of interest”.

Defence Minister José Pedro Aguiar-Branco recently said he was unaware of any documentation missing from his ministry, but affirmed his readiness for “total collaboration” with the investigation.

Portugal ducks out of NH90 programme

The Portuguese Ministry of Defence has decided to suspend the country's participation in the co-operative NH90 helicopter programme and will not longer receive the 10 NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopters (TTHs) that were ordered to equip the army's light aviation unit (Unidade de Aviação Ligeira do Exército).

The cancellation will save Portugal EUR420 million (USD532 million), which is expected to be invested in other projects, although a significant amount of funding has already been invested in the NH90 programme.

The decision is a major setback for the army, which expected to have its own air mobility capability.

Portugal is currently facing a harsh economic climate that is adversely affecting the procurement of much-needed hardware for the country's armed forces. Several scheduled acquisition programmes have been cancelled, postponed or are being renegotiated. The acquisition of Pandur II 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicles for the army and navy, for example, is being renegotiated with manufacturer General Dynamics European Land Systems in order to receive fewer than the 260 planned units.

Portuguese Submarine Arrives in Groton

Portugal marked its first trip to the "Submarine Capital of the World" when it arrived at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, June 30.

NRP Tridente, a diesel electric with air independent propulsion submarine, has a crew of 33 sailors and is commanded by Lt. Cmdr. Bruno Ricardo Amaral Henriques. Prior to its arrival in Groton, Tridente participated in the multinational Fleet Training Exercise War of 1812 (FLEETEX) from June 19 to 29.

During the FLEETEX more than 20 ships and aircraft from the U.S., Portugal, United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Canada and Brazil participated.

Tridente is visiting Groton to conduct sea trials. Participation in both the FLEETEX, as well as sea trials, allow the crew of Tridente to increase their levels of operating readiness.

"We have been planning the arrival of NRP Tridente for some time and look forward to learning from one another and sharing traditions and customs to strengthen each service's undersea warfare capabilities," said Lt. Cmdr. Matt Luff, exercise coordinator, Commander, Submarine Development Squadron 12.

Cmdr. Mario Pereira, of the Portuguese navy, will oversee aspects of the sea trials and emphasizes the opportunity for training with the U.S. Navy's submarine force.

"Although it's now time to focus on this task that will increase NRP Tridente's level of operational readiness, this partnership between Portugal and U.S. navies is an excellent opportunity to evolve together, strengthening the cooperation among friendly nations that efficiently use the sea," said Cmdr. Mario Pereira, head of Portuguese delegation for the Submarine Sea Trials.

After sea trials are complete, Tridente will depart Groton for its trans-Atlantic return to Portugal.

Portuguese Navy Submarine NRP Tridente Arrives at Naval Station Norfolk

Romania could procure second hand F-16 from Portugal or the Netherlands

Minister of Defense Corneliu Dobritoiu told Agerpres, after a meeting with the reserve military that a team of specialists will go to the Netherlands and Portugal to assess the technical condition of some F-16 type aircraft that Romania might procure for the Army.

'We will assess the jets, to see if they are technically up to our requirements, their upgrading needs, the cost and if we can afford them, or not. The assessments are made in Portugal and the Netherlands', Dobritoiu said.

He admitted that Romania could buy F-16s from the Portuguese or the Dutch, arguing that Romania's strategic goal should be getting the fifth generation jets 'at minimal costs''.

'Anyway we do not have money to transition to new jets. And then this decision would have an effect on a time interval of 40 to 50, even 55 years because for a new fifth generation jet the life cycle is up to 35-40 years', explained the Minister of Defense.

Initially, Romania announced its intention to procure 'second hand' F-16 from the U.S. Air Force, but now it considers the procurement of the same type of aircraft, but from other countries.

'Anything is possible. All options remain open. We seek the most beneficial option in terms of price-quality ratio for a fifth generation jet', the Minister of Defense added.

Mark Gitenstein, the U.S. Ambassador to Bucharest, said, on May 18, that the Romanian army should pass to a new generation of aircraft. He said that the governments of the two countries steadily discuss about the procurement by Romania of F16 aircraft , an obstacle in this respect being the very high cost, adding that it is not the need to be new aircraft, but upgraded. He stressed that the initial demand for the U.S. to consider selling the planes came from Romania and the Romanian Government and, also, that the upgraded planes could be a solution. Asked if the talks on F16 procurement are 'frozen', the U.S. official replied that discussions on the subject have been held throughout his term.

At the same time, the head of state recalled, on December 16, in the meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT), that in 2015 the combat aircraft of the Romanian Army exhaust their resource and the procurement of a number of 48 jets is needed, set to cover Romania's contribution to NATO, but also for own territory defense.