The U.S. is considering selling F-35 fighters to five new nations, including Romania, as European allies consolidate their defenses in the face of a strengthening Russia, a Pentagon official said in front of the Congress on April 4, Reuters reported.

The head of the Pentagon’s F-35 office, Vice Admiral Mathias Winter, has reportedly said that “future potential Foreign Military Sales customers include Singapore, Greece, Romania, Spain and Poland.” 

Romania bought 12 F-16 multirole aircraft from Portugal in 2013. The contract had a total value of EUR 628 million, which included the refurbishing done by US group Lockheed Martin and training the Romanian pilots. In July 2018, the media reported that Portugal’s Defense Ministry confirmed that it would sell five more F-16 fighters to Romania.

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