Speaking at IAV 2026, Lieutenant General Dragoş-Dumitru Iacob confirmed that Romania plans to procure main battle tanks other than the M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams already ordered for one battalion. He stated that the competitive procedure is currently at the “consideration of options” stage, but added that “a milestone may be reached within a few months”.
According to Romanian media, this could result in the selection of a supplier for four additional main battle tank battalions in the first half of the year. The programme is expected to include the acquisition of 216 main battle tanks and 76 support vehicles, with an estimated net value of EUR 6.5 billion.
The second phase of the Tanc principal de luptă programme also foresees extensive involvement of the Romanian defence industry in main battle tank production. Planned local activities include manufacturing hull and turret structures, producing optoelectronic components including the fire control system, as well as vehicle assembly, integration and acceptance testing.
Unofficially, three main battle tank offers are reported to be under consideration, including two German proposals, the Leopard 2A8 and the KF51 Panther, and South Korea’s K2Ex. A German option is considered more likely by local commentators, as Romania could access credit support of up to EUR 16.68 billion under the European SAFE loan programme.
Earlier media reports suggesting a likely purchase of additional Abrams tanks or a confirmed choice of the KF51 Panther have not been borne out. Despite expectations in 2025 that a decision would be taken before the end of the year, Romania has yet to select a main battle tank supplier.
The urgency of the programme reflects Romania’s continued reliance on ageing main battle tanks, including the domestically developed TR-85-800 and TR-85M1, as well as upgraded T-55 variants. Although these vehicles are being modernised to the M1R standard, they remain significantly below contemporary main battle tank requirements.
