Several foreign suppliers are competing for Romania’s projected procurement of tracked infantry fighting vehicles and howitzers in 2024.
Bucharest’s plan calls for purchasing up to 298 IFVs worth about $3.3 billion and 54 self-propelled 155 mm howitzers with related equipment valued at $920 million.
The government expects to increase defense spending for the year by nearly 45 percent from 2023 to approximately $20.8 billion, Defense News reported, citing National Defence Ministry officials and public documents.
The ministry’s IFV choices include the Redback from Hanwha Aerospace of South Korea, the Ascod of General Dynamics European Land Systems, the Rheinmetall Lynx from Germany and the BAE Systems CV90 that are manufactured in Sweden.
On the howitzer deal, among the options are the Panzerhaubitze 2000 of Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, the K9 Thunder of Hanwha Aerospace and the T-155 Fırtına of Turkey’s BMC.
In addition to the planned howitzer purchase, Romania is establishing the Romanian Artillery Center geared for producing Elbit Systems’ 155 mm ATMOS Advanced Mobile Howitzers.