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The Minister of Defense announces that the first military equipment purchased through the SAFE program will arrive in Romania starting in 2027

Raluca Ioana Draghici

2 November 2026, 20:19

Current Affairs

facebook.com/ Stefan Radu Oprea

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The first military capabilities acquired through the SAFE program are expected to become operational in Romania starting in 2027, while other systems will be delivered between 2028 and 2030, Defense Minister Ștefan Radu Oprea said on TVR 1. Priorities include strengthening security in the Black Sea, particularly through the installation of radar systems.

The minister said there are also programs whose contracts have not yet been signed and that he intends to discuss with the selected partners to accelerate the procedures. He stressed that Romania needs improved surveillance and early detection capabilities for aerial threats.

According to Oprea, identifying drones that could enter Romanian territory at an early stage would give military personnel more time to intervene, including by scrambling aircraft or helicopters or using other methods of neutralization.

The minister explained that a threat must be intercepted as far away as possible from populated areas, since engaging a target over a town or village is more difficult and involves additional risks.

Asked when the radar systems for monitoring the Black Sea would arrive in Romania, Ștefan Radu Oprea said that the agreements had already been concluded and that work was under way.

Context: Romania received the first SAFE tranche, while deliveries of counter-drone capabilities were preceded by a drone incident

Romania received on 26 August 2026 the first tranche from the SAFE program, worth approximately 2.5 billion euros (15% pre-financing), and the European Commission is set to analyze progress reports submitted by the Romanian authorities twice a year. The program has a total value for Romania of 16.68 billion euros and must be completed by 2030, while additional payments are conditional on the progress of the projects.

Meanwhile, the former interim Minister of Defense, Radu Miruță, announced that Romania will begin receiving, starting in the middle of next year, counter-drone combat capabilities and low-altitude radars contracted through SAFE, with deliveries staggered over up to two and a half years. The announcement came after a drone entered the national airspace from Ukraine, over the northern part of Botoșani County, was monitored by the Ministry of Defense's radars, and then crashed near the locality of Solca (Suceava), with RO-Alert messages sent to the population.