Additional Patriot system for Romania approved by US State Department

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Romania of a Patriot air defence system and related equipment, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 28 April 2025.

The proposed FMS, which is worth an estimated USD 280 million (EUR 247 million) has been passed to the US Congress for final approval.

Romania has requested to buy one AN/MPQ-65 Configuration 3+ Increment 3 radar set; one AN/MSQ-132 Engagement Control Station; two M903 launching stations; and one Electrical Power Plant III.

Various non-Major Defense Equipment items are also included in the package, including generators; prime movers; spares; identification friend or foe (IFF) encryptors; Defense Advanced Global Positioning Systems Receivers (DAGRs); documentation; and various aspects of engineering, technical, logistics and programme support.

Romania is already a user of the Patriot system. In 2017, in what was then the country’s largest procurement deal to date, Romania signed a USD 4 billion deal covering seven Patriot systems. The Romanian armed forces received the country’s first Patriot system on 17 September 2020.

With Romania having transferred one of its Patriot systems to Ukraine in October 2024, this latest FMS appears to cover a replacement for that system.

The DSCA stated that the proposed sale “will improve Romania’s capability to meet current and future threats by enabling it to field a credible force to deter adversaries and support its participation in NATO operations”.

The principal contractors for the FMS will be RTX Corporation, out of its facilities in Andover, Massachusetts, and Lockheed Martin, out of its facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.