BUCHAREST, Romania \u2014 Romania has signed an intergovernmental agreement to take ownership of 18 F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands, formalizing its role as host of the European F-16 Training Center, the Ministry of Defense announced Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aircraft, already stationed at Fete\u0219ti Air Base in southeastern Romania, will now be transferred to Romanian ownership and used to train pilots from NATO member states and partner nations. The move is seen as a strategic step in bolstering regional defense cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The purchase price for the jets was symbolically set at 1 euro, excluding value-added tax. Romania will pay \u20ac21 million in VAT, based on a declared value of \u20ac100 million for the aircraft and associated support package, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The agreement was signed in Bucharest by Brigadier General Ion-Cornel Ple\u0219a, head of Romania\u2019s armaments directorate, and Linda Ruseler of the Dutch Ministry of Finance. Defense Minister Liviu-Ionu\u021b Mo\u0219teanu and Dutch Ambassador Willemijn van Haaften witnessed the signing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mo\u0219teanu said the deal strengthens Romania\u2019s position as a key training hub for F-16 operators in Europe. He emphasized the center\u2019s role in supporting NATO\u2019s transition toward the F-35 platform and its contribution to collective defense efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy continuing operations at the center, Romania reaffirms its strategic role within NATO\u2019s defense architecture,\u201d Mo\u0219teanu said. \u201cWe also support Ukraine by offering pilot training, contributing to regional stability and Ukraine\u2019s right to self-defense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The European F-16 Training Center, launched earlier this year, is designed to provide advanced tactical instruction to pilots from allied nations. Its expansion is expected to accommodate a growing number of trainees as NATO modernizes its air capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ambassador van Haaften praised the partnership, highlighting the Netherlands\u2019 commitment to joint security initiatives. She said the training center exemplifies the close cooperation between the two countries, particularly along NATO\u2019s eastern flank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are united in our support for Ukraine and in strengthening deterrence,\u201d van Haaften said. \u201cThis center is a tangible result of our shared defense priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The transfer of the jets is expected to be completed in phases, with Romanian personnel assuming full operational control. Defense officials say the facility will play a critical role in shaping future air operations across Europe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BUCHAREST, Romania \u2014 Romania has signed an intergovernmental agreement to take ownership of 18 F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands, formalizing its role as host of the European F-16 Training Center, the Ministry of Defense announced Monday. The aircraft, already stationed at Fete\u0219ti Air Base in southeastern Romania, will now be transferred to Romanian ownership […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":23450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-international"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Romania-signs-deal-to-take-ownership-of-18-Dutch-F-16s-for-training-center.jpg?fit=768%2C512&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23438"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23451,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23438\/revisions\/23451"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}