ROMANIA NATO DEFENSE

Decommissioning of Soviet era MiG-21 LanceR jets at 87th Air Base

epa10629318 Commander Squadron 861 (Mig-21), George Mihail Zamfirescu (L) and Loctiitor Comandant Escadrila 53 Vanatoare (F16), capitan-comandor Lucian Tatulea (R), backed by a Russian made military jet airplane MiG 21 LanceR, exchange the command during a decommissioning ceremony on the runway of the 86th Air Base, in Borcea, 156 kilometers south-east from Bucharest, Romania, 15 May 2023. The ceremony at the 'Lieutenant Aviator Gheorghe Mociornita' Air Base was completed with a last flight of the Mig21 LanceR warplanes of Soviet production after which they will be taken out of service based on a decision of the Romanian Supreme Council of Defense. Romania opted for F16 aircrafts with which the Romanian Air Force will continue to perform the permanent Air Police Combat Service within the mission of the Reinforced Air Police under NATO command. Romania has firmed up plans to acquire the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, the Romanian Ministry of Defence being expected to submit a formal letter of request to the US government before the end of 2024. The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (NATO name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed in the former Soviet Union and entered service in 1959. Romanian Air Forces modernized its MIG-21 fleet by using the services of Israeli company ELBIT for its upgraded version MIG-21 LanceR. The jet was the most-produced supersonic jet aircraft in aviation history, the most-produced combat aircraft since the Korean War and the longest production run of any combat aircraft (apart from US jet fighters F15 and F16). From 1994 to 2023, the Air Force has lost approximately 20 MiG21s in accidents. Romania needs 48 aircraft to carry out its air police missions alone and to fulfill the combat requirements, according to Romania's commitments upon joining NATO. EPA/ROBERT GHEMENT

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