At the particularly “preferential” price of 1 euro, the Netherlands decided to grant a total of 18 F-16 fighter jets to Romania, as announced by the Romanian Minister of Defence on the sidelines of the recent NATO Summit held in The Hague.

In particular, Romania will receive a total of 18 Dutch F-16s by the end of 2025 for the symbolic sum of one euro, as a gesture of solidarity among Allies within the framework of NATO, as clarified by the Romanian Minister of Defence.

The fighter jets will be used exclusively for pilot training as part of Romania’s F-16 training and education centre, which also supports NATO and allied air forces. 

Therefore, it is a training centre for pilots of NATO and NATO partner countries, the Romanian Defence Minister confirmed.

He further clarified that the 18 Dutch F-16s would become the property of the Romanian state by the end of the year, alongside ongoing technical discussions to finalise the details of the transfer.

It is noted that at the Romanian Air Force training centre, Ukrainian pilots and ground crews are being trained in the use and operation of the F-16.

According to Romanian sources, the country has two squadrons of F-16 fighter jets, stationed at Borcea Air Base and Câmpia Turzii Air Base. These include the 17 aircraft purchased from Portugal between 2016–2017 and 2020–2021, as well as another 18 fighter jets received in May from Norway. 

Finally, Romania is expected to take delivery of 14 more fighter jets by the end of the year, which will bring the total number of aircraft to approximately 67 F-16s in the coming years.

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