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Nov 30 2021

NSPA Procures New F-16 Air-to-Ground Training Capability for the Romanian Air Force

LUXEMBOURG - The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has recently procured Enhanced Laser Guided Training Rounds for the Romanian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft. 

Romania, as part of the NSPA Ammunition Support Partnership, benefits from an outline agreement between NSPA and Lockheed Martin. The agreement is in effect through 2021 and allows NSPA to purchase up to 3,000 Enhanced Laser Guided Training Rounds a year for the next five years on behalf of NATO nations. Romania can exploit this modern training solution, benefiting from the consolidation of requirements, while reducing costs and logistics footprint.

A Ground and Air Crew training took place on 16 and 17 November 2021 at the Romanian F-16 Air Base of Borcea. On 18 November, the first two missions were successfully executed by Base Commander Colonel Catalin Miclos and Squadron Commander Colonel Mihaita Marin.

New Enhance Laser Guided Training Rounds. Romanian Air Force F-16.

NSPA has provided Romanian Air Force a great support in order to achieve a cost-effective and efficient modern employment training solution that will enhance our F-16 capabilities. 

"NSPA has provided Romanian Air Force a great support in order to achieve a cost-effective and efficient modern employment training solution that will enhance our F-16 capabilities. With today's range limitations and budget constraints, the ELGTR provides aircrews with the ability to improve training frequency through an effective combination of lower unit cost and a smaller range safety footprint when compared to the tactical Paveway II LGBs. The meeting with the NSPA officials at the Romanian Air Force HQ was an opportunity to engage discussions about the future common projects that will increase readiness and interoperability between us and our NATO partners", assured the Romanian Air Force representative Captain Engineer Radu Catalin Mihalache.

Colonel Miclos during preflight inspection

Representatives from the Romanian Air Force and NSPA Ammunition Support Partnership met on 19 November to discuss the new training capability, review ongoing projects and discuss future opportunities. During the meeting, Romania expressed its intention to potentially join the Precision Guided Munitions Working Group as its 15th participating member.

The NATO multinational Air-to-Ground Precision Guided Munitions involves thirteen Allies and one NATO partner (Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, the United Kingdom and Finland). This multinational project offers participants a framework to acquire air-to-ground PGMs in a cost-effective and flexible way. Beyond easier and quicker transfers, the NATO Air-to-Ground PGM project also enables participants to save costs by procuring and transporting PGMs together. To achieve this, the NSPA acts as the lead buyer for combining the requirements of participants with the intention to achieve lower per unit cost through multinational buys.