The Chief of the Military Staff, General Nicolae Ciuca (photo), announced in a press conference on Thursday that Romania intends to buy American missiles Patriot, announced Mediafax newswire.
The State Secretary in the Ministry of National Defence, Florin Vladica, said that a request has been sent to the Defence Cooperation Office in Romania of the United States Embassy in Bucharest, whereby Romania is interested in acquiring Patriot missiles, a request that is to reach the US government.
The Chief of the Military Staff, General Nicolae Ciuca expressed his optimism that the procurement procedures can be started this year.
The statements were made at a press conference organised on the occasion of a tactical exercise with real combat ammunition, which took place on Thursday at the Secondary Training Centre for Fighting from Smardan, Galati county, where it has also been organized a welcome ceremony for the first rotating detachment of American military members from the European Reinsurance Initiative (ERI).
Patriot missiles are an advanced surface-to-air defence system against cruise or ballistic missiles or airplanes. 12 countries own Patriot missiles: the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Taiwan, Greece, Spain, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.
Patriot is an advanced, surface-to-air defence system that can be used in the event of an attack by airplane or ballistic and cruise missile.
Noteworthy: Patriot system is not included on the list of procurement objectives approved by memorandum, by the Government, a document submitted for approval to the Parliament. The program for military equipment includes a component called „Medium-range surface-air missile system”, but it refers to an ongoing contract for the acquisition of Hawk XXI systems that are to be integrated into the National Air Traffic Command and Control System.
The Patriot anti-aircraft system arrived in Romania last year for joint military exercises with the American army, which took place at Capul Midia. It was the first time when such a missiles system arrived in our country.
The system brought to Romania was equipped with state-of-the-art missiles. Each of them weighs 350 kilograms, can travel at a speed of 5,000 kilometres per hour, has a range of 20 kilometres and can reach an altitude of 24 thousand meters. Patriot is also equipped with a complex radar capable of detecting in record time a missile shot by the enemy and reacting to the threat in just a few seconds. Kinetic force and fragmentation are used.
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