The Netherlands will transfer 18 F-16 fighter jets to Romania by the end of 2025 for the symbolic sum of €1, Defense Minister Ionut Moscatanu said on June 25 during a press conference in The Hague with President Nicușor Dan after the NATO summit, according to Romania Insider.

The fighter jets will be used exclusively for pilot training at Romania's F-16 training and instruction center, which also supports NATO and allied air forces. “So this is a training and instruction center for NATO pilots and NATO allies,” Moscatanu confirmed.

“Today, I will sign this memorandum of understanding with the Dutch minister to continue the procedure for the transfer or continuation of activities at the F-16 training center,” the defense minister announced on June 25.

He explained that the 18 aircraft will become the property of the Romanian state by the end of the year, with technical discussions to finalize the details of the transfer. “This is a procedure that cannot be circumvented in any other way, and from now on, technical discussions at expert level will begin to finalize the procedure,” he added.

The donation strengthens Romania's role in regional defense cooperation and pilot readiness following the establishment of a multinational F-16 training center on Romanian territory in 2023. The transfer is part of NATO's broader efforts to expand collective deterrence and readiness capabilities on the Alliance's eastern flank.

The announcement was made in the context of the NATO summit in The Hague, where alliance leaders reaffirmed their commitments to Article 5 and agreed to increase military spending with a new target of 5% of each member state's GDP.

Romania has two squadrons of F-16 aircraft stationed at the Borșa and Câmpia Turzii air bases. These include 17 aircraft purchased from Portugal (in 2016-2017 and 2020-2021) and 18 from Norway (the last two were received last month). Under the contract, another 14 F-16 aircraft from Norway are due to arrive in the country by the end of the year, bringing the total number of F-16 aircraft owned by Romania to 67. |BGNES