Romania to transfer Patriot air and missile defence system to Ukraine

This decision follows a bill proposed by Romania’s Ministry of National Defence, which was passed by the Chamber of Deputies with 245 votes in favour, 29 against, and one abstention. The approved legislation states that Romania will provide one of its seven Patriot PAC-3 air defence systems to Ukraine.

The law does not specify a date for the transfer, leaving the timing at the discretion of the Romanian government. The transfer may depend on Romania’s ongoing negotiations with its allies, including the United States, to obtain a similar or equivalent system to maintain protection of its own national airspace.

Romania’s Armed Forces currently operate the latest PAC-2 GEM-T and Patriot PAC-3 MSE versions of the system. In 2017, Romania signed an agreement with the United States under the Foreign Military Sales programme to purchase seven Patriot PAC-3+ air defence system batteries, which include PAC-2 GEM-T and PAC-3 MSE anti-aircraft missiles. The deal was estimated to be worth around USD 4 billion.

Of the seven batteries, four are designated for the Romanian Air Force, while the remaining three are intended for the Romanian Army.