Romania parts with its Soviet fighter planes
The aging MiG-21s leaving the Romanian army on Monday will be replaced by more modern American F-16 fighters. The country bordering Ukraine said Kiev “has not shown interest”.
By Le Figaro with AFP
published to update
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there Romania It said goodbye on Monday, May 15, to its Mig-21 LanceR fighter jets, inherited from the communist era, which were replaced by more modern American F-16 fighters in the context of strengthening NATO’s eastern wing.
On the front line since launchRussian offensive in neighboring UkraineIn recent months, Bucharest has redoubled its efforts to modernize its defence.
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“it was time”
Romania will now operate 17 second-hand F-16s purchased in Portugal. It also signed a contract with Norway in November for the purchase of 32 aircraft. A member of NATO since 2004, it aspires to the latest generation of US F-35 fighters, but it will likely take years for this extravagant project to become a reality.
“It is time for us to move on to something better and more in line with global realitiesThe pilot, Adrian Trifa, 37, told AFP before taking off from the base of Borussia (southeast) on his last flight, during one of the celebrations organized by the Minister of Defense on Monday. For this soldier with 750 flying hours on the clock, it’s a page turning. Especially since he will not be trained on F-16s: “I am very oldHe says. Apprenticeships are reserved for people under the age of 35.
The exact number of MiG-21 LanceR fighters in Romania is classified. Unofficial estimates indicate that the number was 25. In the Communist era, the number of aircraft was about 400. The flight of these old aircraft was temporarily suspended last year after “A large number of accidentsand technical issues. They then resumed duty on surveillance and pilot training duties. Thirty MiG-21s were destroyed in accidents between 1991 and 2022, according to the Ministry of Defense.
It should have been withdrawn a long time ago, but the decision was delayed due to lack of funds, Stefan Danila, a retired general, believes. “Ukraine showed no interestHe specifies, emphasizing that the combat capability of the remaining combat aircraft is limited.
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