Norway has confirmed the sale of 32 F-16 fighter aircraft to Romania. The contract includes, in addition to the aircraft, the support, maintenance and training of pilots and ground crews. The fighters, A/B versions, entered service in the country in the 1980s and have been modernized since then. But they were decommissioned with the start of operations of the first F-35A Lightning II.
Delivery of the first planes to Romania are scheduled for early 2023, with the final batch scheduled to arrive in the Eastern European country in 2024. Since 2016 the Romanians have already been users of upgraded F-16 A and B version aircraft, which were purchased from Portugal.
The arrival of the Norwegian jets will allow the country to permanently decommission its last Soviet MiG-21 fighters, used since the 1980s.