RTX will produce a new Patriot air defense system for Romania

The American company RTX has signed a contract to produce new Patriot air defense systems for Romania.

The US Department of Defense said that it had signed a contract with the company for $946.5 million.

The initial tranche of funding of $464 million had already been allocated earlier.

Deliveries under this contract are scheduled to be completed by the end of December 2029.

So far neither party disclosed additional details about the terms of the deal.

The Romanian Air Force currently operates three Patriot air defense systems purchased in a previous procurement campaign.

The fourth air defense system was transferred to Ukraine in October as part of military assistance.

It was previously reported that Norway compensated Romania for the transfer of Patriots to Ukraine.

The country provided Patriot systems in the most modern PAC-3+ configuration, which is capable of effectively intercepting ballistic missiles.

Back in 2017, Romania signed an agreement with the United States to purchase Patriot PAC-3+ air defense systems under the Foreign Military Sales program.

This version of the systems is equipped with a more powerful second-generation AN/MPQ-65 radar, which has a longer detection range, better target identification capabilities, and ballistic missile tracking capabilities.

In December, it became known that the Ukrainian government wants to obtain a license from the United States to manufacture Patriot anti-aircraft systems in Ukraine.