The deal, valued at €20 million (U.S. $21.8 million), is the latest between the two countries. In 2019 the first government-to-government deal was signed for $35 million in which Elbit Systems provided remote control weapons stations to the Balkan country.

The agreement between Montenegro and Israel is one of several recent contracts for Elbit in Europe, including multiple contracts in Romania. The sale was approved by the Director General of the Israel Ministry of Defense, Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

“This marks the third agreement with our partners in Montenegro since bolstering our defense relations in 2019 and is a great expression of confidence in the Israeli defense industry,” said Gen. Yair Kulas, head of the International Defense Cooperation Directorate at Israel’s Ministry of Defense, in a statement. “Montenegro is a partner and ally of Israel and faces complex security challenges like other European countries.

The contract, signed in Tel Aviv, will include Elbit Systems 120mm mortar munition system that are mounted on vehicles. Photos show it being mounted and fired from the back of a lightly armored vehicle.

The previous 2019 contract included the supply of Remote Controlled Weapon Stations for what were at the time new Oshkosh Defense 4X4 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles . In May 2022, Oshkosh Defense said that along with Elbit Land Systems it had successfully demonstrated a live fire of Spear 120mm low recoil mortar on a JLTV Mortar variant during a multinational demonstration hosted in Israel.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a major increase in defense spending and procurement across Europe. Western countries seek to balance the needs of aiding Ukraine with resupplying their own stockpiles of munitions and buying new systems to prepare for future conflicts.

For Israel’s big three defense contractors — Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries and Elbit Systems — this represents a potential boon. In mid-April, for example, Israel’s Defense Ministry said Germany was in advanced negotiations to acquire Israel’s Arrow 3 air defense system. Finland is also acquiring the David’s Sling missile defense system, and Greece has announced a deal to acquire Spike missiles and drones.

The three companies each already have a presence in Europe. Some have local subsidiaries or agreements with European defense companies, or unique European footprints, such as Rafael’s EuroSpike program. That means they are in a position to quickly react to new procurement plans.

For Niv Cohen, who leads Rafael’s land maneuver systems business, the war in Ukraine has emphasized a need for land warfare equipment in particular.

“The conflict has highlighted the principles of land maneuvering and holding territory conquered during battle,” he said. “This understanding of operational requirements has led to countries in Europe and around the world to develop serious plans for purchase and procurement of fighting vehicles, especially tanks.”

Cohen also pointed to the related market of protective equipment to complement those vehicle fleets.

Rafael hopes those market dynamics bode well for its Trophy active protection system. The U.S. and Germany have already acquired the Trophy for their Abrams and Leopard tanks, respectively. The system has been operational in Israel since 2011, and Cohen said it has received upgrades since to meet changing threats.

The company established EuroTrophy last year as a Europe-based company in partnership with Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Spain-based General Dynamics European Land Systems.

With the interest in active protection systems growing in Europe, Rafael has transferred the supply chain for its EuroTrophy and EuroSpike programs to the continent.

“Given the difficulties in the global supply chain, our local manufacturing capabilities provide flexibility, efficiency and a streamlined process to help avoid the obstacles we identify here in Israel or in any arena,” Cohen said.

Ran Kril, Elbit’s executive vice president for international marketing and business development, said a huge demand exists for artillery system munitions, protection capabilities and electronic warfare weaponry.

The company’s acquisition of IMI in 2018 added new munitions as well as artillery and rocket systems to the company’s portfolio. Kril point to this as enabling Elbit to potentially fill orders for countries that have seen munitions shipped to and consumed by Ukraine in the war.

Elbit has built a network of local offshoots across Europe, including in the U.K., Sweden, Switzerland and Germany, that are meant to boost the promise of local workshare in future sales.

“They are expanding that as we speak because we understand the increase of the budget doesn’t mean they are willing to buy from outside; they would like most of the work, and also development or maintenance. They expect to see more activities done in the country, so a strategy of establishing subsidiaries is one layer of the strategy, and this is in partnership with other companies. [It’s] a win-win for both of us for programs,” Kril said.

At IAI, CEO Boaz Levy said he hopes to bring his company into play in Europe by linking equipment across the air, space, land and sea domains of warfare.

“This is where I will connect it to Europe,” he said. “IAI now has a lot of products that are suitable for the war that is taking place in Europe and gives us a view toward the future battlespace. When you look at the war there, you will see the requirements for better situational awareness and capabilities for space that are unique to IAI.”

While Levy didn’t mention specific customers, he did point to the firm’s Barak missile as an example of a product that has seen recent success, as well as radars and loitering munitions. The Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, for example have acquired the radar used with Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system. Elta, a subsidiary of IAI, produces the radar.

The underwater vehicle is almost 11 meters long and just over 1 meter in diameter. Coming in at 5.5 tons (11,000 pounds), the platform can fit in a 40-foot shipping container for transport by land, sea or air. The size of the vessel is similar to deep-submergence vehicles or so-called crewed midget submarines.

It can travel at up to 7 knots underwater, and using electrical power, the submarine can operate for two to four weeks, depending on the mission, the company said.

Its range, at an average speed of 7 knots for 10 days, would be more than 1,600 nautical miles (1,841 miles).

The platform can detect submarines and gather acoustic intelligence using radar and electro-optical technology, according to the company. It has a mast, like larger crewed submarines, and a telescope to help detect targets at sea and on the coast, the company added in a statement.

“It is also equipped with dedicated sonars to enable the detection of both manned and unmanned submarines, and map mines on the seabed,” IAI noted, as well as “a special sensor suite [that] ensures safe transit for the submarine both below and in the proximity of the sea surface.”

The company also said the sub can conduct acoustic intelligence as well as search for and detect naval mines on the seabed. Mine detection is conducted with dedicated synthetic aperture sonar, attached to the sides of the vessel.

“By using a satellite communications antenna on the mast, the gathered data can be transferred in real-time to command posts, anywhere in the world, at sea or on land. Submarine detection and acoustic intelligence-gathering data is enabled using a sonar, several tens of meters long, towed by the BlueWhale, and by flank array sonar with receiver arrays attached to both sides of the platform,” IAI said in the statement.

The company added that BlueWhale has “undergone thousands of autonomous operation hours, including intelligence-gathering for both maritime and coastal targets, acoustic intelligence, and identifying the presence of naval mines.” It also noted the platform can perform a portion of operations performed by crewed subs and can operate for several weeks at a time at “minimal cost and maintenance, without the need for operators on board.”

The BlueWhale has a sensor suite to help ensure its safe transit underwater or near the surface. In recent years, a number of international patents were registered regarding development of the system, the company said.

IAI did not elaborate on the cost of the system.

Navies around the world are seeking more unmanned solutions at sea, particularly the U.S. Navy, which wants to field more unmanned vessels and is running a program in the Gulf region to test unmanned surface units. In 2021, IAI partnered with Emirati conglomerate Edge Group to develop unmanned surface vessels.

Underwater threats, such as the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline, which several countries have blamed on sabotage, are driving these efforts.

JERUSALEM — The governments of Germany and Israel, as well as Israel Aerospace Industries, are in “advanced negotiations” over delivering the Arrow 3 air defense system to Germany, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry.

The ministry said in an April 20 statement that the countries “have launched discussions regarding the drafting of an agreement for the procurement of the Arrow-3 system.”

Photos provided by the ministry showed an Israeli delegation in Germany meeting with their counterparts. Moshe Patel, the director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization, led the team and is pictured with several officials, including Col. Carsten Koepper, the head of the program that could see the Arrow 3 exported to Germany, and Israeli personnel associated with the division charged with the country’s upper-tier air defense architecture as well as the head of the Arrow weapon system engineering department.

“The launch of advanced negotiations for the delivery of the strategic Arrow-3 system to Germany is an important milestone, which further strengthens the ties between our countries. We look forward to a fruitful negotiation process in the weeks ahead of us,” Patel said.

An export of this kind would be contingent on U.S. approval, the Israeli statement noted, given the Arrow system was jointly developed with the American government.

Israel Aerospace Industries, which is the prime contractor of the system, praised the development. “The cutting-edge Arrow-3 system plays a central role in Israel’s multi-tier air defense array. We value the opportunity to share our capabilities with the partners and allies of the State of Israel. Within the framework of this agreement, we further deepen our security ties between Israel and Germany,” CEO Boaz Levy said.

The Arrow 3 is part of Israel’s multilayered air defense architecture. Along with the Iron Dome and David’s Sling, the Arrow weapon provides the upper tier, which is responsible for intercepting and countering exo-atmospheric ballistic missiles.

The Israel Missile Defense Organization — part of the Defense Ministry’s Directorate for Defense Research and Development — and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency jointly developed the system. In 2015, Israel said the technology successfully engaged a ballistic missile target for the first time. Other successful tests followed, including as recently as 2019.

Last year, the German Air Force acknowledged it was considering the Arrow 3 as an option to counter threats such as the Russian Iskander missile. The news came in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The announcement of advanced negotiations follows the sale of David’s Sling to Finland. The U.S. also helped develop that air defense system. Israel has also recently sold Spike missiles to Greece, and other countries in Europe have developed Israeli radars made by Elta, a subsidiary of IAI, that are used with the Iron Dome interceptor.

The Israeli Defense Ministry and IAI did not mention the possible value of a contract with Germany or a timeline for negotiations and potential delivery. Neither responded to Defense News’ requests for further details by press time.

The deal is part of the sale of Rafael’s Spike missiles to the country in a package worth EUR 370 million ($404 million).

The Orbiter 3, which has a maximum take off weight of 32 kilograms (71 pounds) and can fly for as long as six hours, is suitable for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The agreement will see “dozens” of the drone supplied to the Greek Ministry of Defense, the company said in a statement.

The initial announcement of the Spike deal made no mention of the Orbiter 3 and Israel’s Ministry of Defense did not elaborate. The announcement came before Yom HaShaoh, the annual Holocaust memorial day, and officials were not available to comment.

Aeronautics noted that as part of the contract, “Rafael will provide an advanced solution enabling significant operational advantage to the modern battlefield; while the Orbiter 3 systems detect, recognize and identify (DRI) the target, the Spike missiles, launched from the air, sea, or land can rapidly close the sensor-to-shooter loop, using the Fire Weaver; C4I system.”

In the last year Rafael has presented this kind of fire control capability, which it calls “the NLOS Mission Taskforce (NMT)… a comprehensive, end-to-end operational solution providing small, mobile combat units of 4X4 or armored vehicles with organic detection, attack, and fire control capabilities.”

The company did not comment on how the Orbiter 3 integrates with this system, beyond the statement about the UAV detecting targets while Spike can be launched to close the sensor-to-shooter loop.

“This collaboration demonstrates the technological synergy, and the close business integration, between the two companies,” said Aeronautics CEO Dan Slasky in the statement.

The UAV is runway-independent and can carry various types of payloads, as well as navigating in GPS-denied environments and in harsh weather conditions. In 2019 Aeronautics said it would supply the Orbiter 3 to an unnamed country in Asia and it also won a contract to another unnamed client in South America.

Aeronautics was founded in 1997 and acquired by Rafael and Stolero Aeron in 2019 with state-owned Rafael taking a fifty percent stake.

Greece and Israel have increasing partnerships on defense issues in recent years, including numerous joint drills. In 2020 Greece announced a leasing arrangement for large Heron drones with Israel’s IAI and Israel’s Elbit Systems was contracted to build a flight training facility in the country.

Finland’s Ministry of Defence said it “authorised the Finnish Defence Forces to procure the David’s Sling system as the next long-range air defence system of Finland.”

David’s Sling was developed as part of a joint program between the Israel Missile Defense Organization and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, with Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems serving as the prime contractor. Rafael also makes the Iron Dome air defense system, which is for shorter range threats.

This will be the first export of the David’s Sling system. The system is designed to intercept advanced aerial threats, including ballistic missiles, aircrafts, UAVs and cruise missiles, Israel’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

According to the statement, the procurement process took several years and was a competitive process.

Finland said the system will extend the operational range of Finland’s ground-based air defense capabilities significantly.

“The minimum flight altitude requirement of the system was set at 15,000 meters in the request for quotation,” Finland’s Ministry of Defense said.

Finnish Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen added in the statement that the “acquisition will create a new capability for the Finnish Defence Forces to intercept targets at high altitude. At the same time we are continuing the ambitious and long-term development of Finland’s defence capability in a new security environment.”

The agreement with Israel includes interceptors, launchers and radars. While Rafael is the prime contractor, the agreement involves work with IAI’s Elta subsidiary regarding the multi-mission radar for the system, and also Elbit Systems, which makes the command and control system. Together, these are Israel’s three largest defense companies.

The agreement will require the U.S. to provide a sales release approval, both the Israeli and Finnish statements noted. Neither elaborated on when that approval might be expected.

The Finnish version of the system will be manufactured and integrated as a collaboration between Israeli, American and Finnish contractors, led by Rafael and Raytheon Technologies, the Israeli statement said.

Finland’s statement noted the main contract is worth €213 million and includes an immediate exercise of options for another €103 million. The contract also includes other unspecified options for €216 million.

In addition, the Finnish statement notes “the procurement contract will include a separate part between the Israel Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Defence of Finland to ensure the security of supply of the system. The arrangement will ensure the availability of critical system components in all security situations.”

David’s Sling was first publicly activated to confront threats in 2018, a year after it was declared operational.

“The successful launch of the satellite is yet another important example of the Israeli defense establishment’s groundbreaking innovation,” said Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who was present during the launch.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently fired Gallant from his post for challenging a judicial overhaul plan, but it appears Gallant is still in the position. The ministry hasn’t provided an update to his status.

Israel sent the satellite into orbit on March 29, and it has begun transmitting data, the ministry said. Ofek 13 will complete an initial series of inspections before it is declared operational in the “near future,” the ministry added in its statement.

The ministry described the Ofek 13 satellite as a synthetic aperture radar operating in low Earth orbit. This type of system tends to have an orbit period as short as 90 minutes.

The Space and Satellite Administration, which falls under the purview of the ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development, conducted the launch, which was carried out in coordination with the Israel Defense Forces and local company Israel Aerospace Industries.

“The launch was successful, according to plan,” said AvI Berger, who leads the Space and Satellite Administration. “Initial indications from the satellite are also very good. Within the coming weeks, we will complete technical tests and receive the first pictures before delivering the satellite for operational use by the IDF.”

Daniel Gold, head of the R&D directorate, said the satellite is equipped with the “utmost advanced abilities at the peak of global technology” and “constitutes a leap forward in operational and technological abilities for the preservation and improvement of Israel’s standing in space for the coming decades.”

The satellite will be used by Israel’s Unit 9900, a classified branch within the IDF involved in analyzing, interpreting and understanding satellite images and maps. Brig. Gen. Erez Askal, who commands the unit, said the launch positions Israel “as a regional and international space power.

“Our unit’s soldiers and commanders will continue to work around the clock to ensure the satellite’s successful operation and to provide a full operational intelligence picture,” the officer added.

Israeli has launched its Ofek series of satellites since 1988. Israel’s Air Force has previously described the satellites as “a tool that allow us to look beyond the horizon, to see and investigate all of our areas of interest, and best deal with the theaters and threats. … The satellites are a power multiplier and produce a great amount of product for the IAF.”

Ofek 11 was launched in 2016, and Ofek 16 in 2020. The latter carried a Jupiter camera designed by Elbit Systems.

The Defense Ministry has not explained the numerical logic behind naming the satellite that came after 11 as 16, and then returning to 13 this year.

IAI was the prime contractor for the development of the satellite, the launcher and the ground station monitoring system. The launch engines were developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Tomer, a government-owned company.

The head of IAI, Boaz Levy, praised the Ofek 13′s “groundbreaking intelligence capabilities” and “unique radar observation capabilities” that enable intelligence gathering in any weather and visibility conditions. Israeli statements on the launch did not elaborate on the satellite’s capabilities.

“We will continue to prove that even the sky isn’t the limit for the Israeli defense establishment and that we continue to enhance its capabilities in every dimension in the face of various challenges,” Gallant said at the latest launch.

The training comes amid tension between Israel and Iran as well as the former’s procurement of KC-46A tanker aircraft. The U.S. and Israel have engaged in several recent high profile joint drills, including Juniper Oak, which began in late January. Israel called that event the largest-ever U.S.-Israel drill.

U.S. Air Force Col. Jared Hutchinson, who leads the 414th Combat Training Squadron, said Red Flag provided operators with realistic and relevant training in an integrated warfighting environment.

“The only way to get at realistic elements is training with those you may go into combat with, and Israel is one of our closest allies, so we need to be ready for that,” he added.

During Red Flag, about 100 aircraft flew out of Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Israel committed seven F-35s, representing nearly a quarter of its Joint Strike Fighter fleet. Israel will have 50 of the advanced jets by 2024.

Exercise participants confronted simulated air defenses as well as static and mobile targets. There were “a wide-range of training drills, including long-range aerial scenarios, achieving aerial superiority in the region, joint aerial strikes, area defense, interception of enemy aircraft, low-altitude flights and flights in areas abundant with anti-aircraft equipment,” according to a statement by the Israel Defense Forces.

The IDF noted that the U.S.-led exercise strengthens “operational cooperation between the two militaries as key partners committed to maintaining security in the Middle East.”

For his part, Hutchinson said these events help the U.S. learn “how other countries develop tactics, techniques [and] procedures, and we can learn from them as they learn from us.” The F-35s, he added, specifically participated in drills involving the suppression of air defenses and trained to neutralize simulated threats.

“We are training to [a] generalized Russian-based threat; a lot of the Russian-based threats are in these other nations in the [U.S. Central Command] area of responsibility,” Hutchinson said.

Red Flag doesn’t focus on adversaries in U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility — some of which are Israel’s neighbors — but Syria, for example, uses defense systems of Soviet or Russian origin, such as the S-200 missile system.

Three iterations

Red Flag is held three times a year in Nevada, and each iteration includes different scenarios and focus areas. The January event was three weeks long and included the British and Australian air forces, with a focus on China as a potential threat. It was open to all Five Eyes members — an intelligence-sharing group made up of the U.S., the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

The most recent iteration was open to an “expanded roster of international allies and partners.”

The third Red Flag, scheduled for August as a U.S.-only drill, will also focus on the Indo-Pacific region.

Israel has attended 11 Red Flag events since 1978, according to a U.S. Air Force statement. This year was the first time Israel participating in Red Flag since 2016, the service noted.

Israel received its first F-35s in 2016, and used them in combat for the first time in 2018. The Jewish state has trained alongside American and Italian forces with the aircraft in the last few years, but it hasn’t sent the jets so far abroad as it did this month.

Israel also sent Boeing 707 tanker aircraft to Red Flag this month. The F-35s were refueled by U.S. KC-135s, according to the IDF.

Hutchinson said this month’s Red Flag drill involved several military units that brought together about 2,100 personnel, including the 20th Fighter Wing out of South Carolina with F-16 jets; elements of the New Jersey Air National Guard that fly F-16s; F-35As and members of the 34th Fighter Squadron from Hill Air Force Base, Utah; and U.S. Navy E-18 Growlers electronic warfare aircraft from Whidbey Island, Washington.

The U.S. Marine Corps brought F-18C and F-18D aircraft from Miramar, Florida, while E-3 airborne warning and control system aircraft were flown in from Tinker Air Force Base. There were also rescue assets from the 106th Rescue Wing out of New York and HC-130 planes, along with a tanker task force’s KC-135s and KC-46s.

Hutchinson said unmanned aircraft did not participate.

The training occurred at Nellis’ Nevada Test and Training Range, which includes 12,000 square miles of airspace and 2.9 million acres of land as well as about 2,000 target sets that aircraft can train against.

“This is the home of the only professional bad-guy aggressor squadron, the 64th, that fly F-16s and the 65th that fly F-35s, and air defense that simulates using enemy surface-to-air [missiles], and [an] information aggressor that will aggress the cyber environment,” Hutchinson said. He added that the airborne aggressor in this case replicated Russian fighters and surface-to-air missiles.

Israeli participants were present for almost two weeks, which included 10 training days. Hutchinson said 50-75 sorties were flown in each 90-minute drill, equating to about 150 sorties per day. Israel’s older tanker aircraft participated, even as the country seeks to take delivery of the modern KC-46s.

Asked about the use of the older tanker aircraft, Hutchinson said they “performed exceptionally well” in this month’s exercise, and that “every organization is on a cycle to upgrade the support assets so they have the reliability to execute when the time comes.”

Tuesday’s announcement comes after the Israeli firm inked two other deals with European costumers in early March, one of which was to supply Romania with unmanned turrets, remote weapon stations and mortar systems.

“These contracts extend Elbit Systems’ track record delivering successful projects to the Romanian Armed Forces, including follow-on contracts awarded after Elbit Systems first was contracted to upgrade helicopters and aircraft,” Ran Kril, executive vice president of international marketing and business development for Elbit, said in a statement.

The company declined to comment on the contract values, and the Romania’s Defence Ministry did not respond to an inquiry from Defense News.

The conflict in Ukraine has been a driving factor for Romania’s procurement efforts, according to recent reports.

NATO deployed airborne warning and control system aircraft to Romania in January, and in February a Russian missile fired at Ukraine crossed over into Moldova, Romania’s neighbor, and came within 22 miles of the border of Romania.

Romania’s Defence Ministry said that “the Romanian authorities have applied all standard procedures since the moment the target was detected until the complete clarification of this situation. Furthermore, at 10:38 a.m., two Romanian Air Forces’ MiG-21 LanceR Aircraft of the NATO-led Air Policing Service, which were executing a flight exercise at that moment, were redirected to the Northern area of Romania in order to increase the reaction options.”

Equipping the IAR 300

One contract is for Elbit’s Spectro XR electro-optical system, which will equip Romania’s IAR 330 Puma helicopters used for maritime operations. The contract work will take place over the coming year, the company said, and follows a “successful upgrade of the Romanian Navy’s IAR helicopters.”

Spectro XR can function in the daytime and at night, and its sensors provide imaging capabilities. The company said it also provides “continuous target scanning capabilities for enhanced situational awareness.”

The IAR 330 is the main helicopter used by the Romanian Naval, Air and Land forces; the Naval Force uses three. The country has used the aircraft in several naval drills, including the NATO-led Steadfast Defender exercise in 2021. The alliance reported in 2018 that the Romanian naval version of the IAR 330 was used with the Romanian frigate Regele Ferdinand for joint maneuvers as part of the NATO Maritime Group 2 in the Black Sea.

Electronic warfare

Another contract with Elbit is for the supply of a “comprehensive electronic warfare (EW) suite including Radar Warning Receiver (RWR), Laser Warning System (LWS), Infrared Missile Warning System (IR MWS) and Counter Measure Dispensing System (CMDS),” according to the company.

Elbit explained that the “suites will be supplied to a domestic supplier for the installation and integration onboard six Puma helicopters with an option for an additional six in the future.”

This contract is a follow-on order of EW suites that were previously installed. The contract will take place over three years.

Search and rescue

One of the other deals will see Elbit supply the Brightnite system to Romanian helicopter specialist IAR Brasov for the search and rescue model of the Puma helicopters. The Israeli company will perform this work over two years for the Romanian Air Force.

Brightnite is a system that can equip aircraft to support nighttime missions and other degraded visual environments, including during blizzards, Elbit said, adding that it “transmits high-resolution video to the Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD), enabling pilots to fly in a head-up, eyes-out position.”

Under this same contract, Elbit will also provide additional Spectro electro-optical systems, as well as technology such as smart displays, digital maps and reconnaissance systems.

Trainers

The fourth contract will see Elbit supply avionic suites, monitors, overhead displays, navigation systems and weapons activation systems for the Romanian defense company Avione Craiova as part of an upgrade to the Air Force’s IAR 99 fighter trainer aircraft.

In 2019, Maj. Gen. Viorel Pană, chief of the Romanian Air Force Staff, described the IAR 99 aircraft upgrades and the IAR 330s as important for the country.

The upgrade is to support an “effective transition of Romanian Air Force pilots to fighter aircraft, including the Romanian Air Force’s F-16s,” Elbit said. The work will take place over a period of four years.

Romania has increasingly sought to bolster its military capabilities. In 2017, the country decided to locally produce Piranha armored vehicles, and it became the first European country to purchase the American-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System in 2018.

NATO members have supported improvements at Romania’s Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base to meet the alliance’s standards for airfields, according to a January 2023 report by the Western organization, of which Romania is a member.