Romania’s Ministry of National Defense has submitted a bill to Parliament for debate and vote in the upcoming autumn session on transferring the Patriot surface-to-air missile system to Ukraine, RFE/RL’s Romanian Service reports. The session will start on 2 September 2024.
The proposed legislation outlines the donation of one of Romania’s seven Patriot systems in the 3+ configuration to Ukraine. Configuration 3+ is reportedly the most modern variant of the system and is used by the US and nearly 20 other allies.
Of seven 3+ configuration Patriots Romania purchased from the US, four systems have already arrived in Romania, with two being operational. The remaining three are expected to arrive in the immediate future.
According to the Ministry of National Defense,
“The finalization of the donation act will contribute to accentuating Romania’s position as a regional security provider and to strengthening the partnership relationship with the United States of America.”
The Patriot Configuration 3+ features high-performance radar systems and advanced PAC-3 aerial interceptor missiles, capable of striking ballistic missiles at distances of up to 20 kilometers. Each battery contains four PAC-3 missiles, an improvement over the previous PAC-2 version which contained only one.
Related:
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- Russia threatens Japan over possible Patriot missiles transfer to Ukraine
- Romania partners with Ukraine to enhance Neptune missiles that destroyed Russian flagship Moskva
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- Ukraine signs security agreement with Romania
- Romania to finance training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets at Fetesti air base
- Romania mulls sending Patriot missiles to bolster Ukraine’s defenses
