Interim Minister of Defense, Radu Miruţă: "The contract for the acquisition of the first SHORAD - VSHORAD air defense systems, intended for protection against aerial threats, has been signed."

The interim Minister of Defense, Radu Miruţă, announces on Thursday that the contract for the acquisition of the first SHORAD - VSHORAD air defense systems has been signed, intended for protection against aerial threats, a "shield" of close-range air defense that detects and destroys aerial threats before they reach the protected target.

"The contract for the acquisition of the first SHORAD - VSHORAD air defense systems, intended for protection against aerial threats, has been signed.

After years in which the Romanian Army's armament programs have advanced too slowly, we have launched an accelerated modernization and equipping program that produces concrete results, day by day. Contracts that have been awaited for years are now entering implementation, and the capabilities that Romanian soldiers need in the field are starting to become a reality.

A SHORAD/VSHORAD system is a "shield" of close-range air defense that detects and destroys aerial threats before they reach the protected target.

Practically, this system is the last layer of protection that stops an aerial threat before it can cause damage.

It is necessary because today threats come not only from airplanes or helicopters but also from drones, munitions, small missiles, or aircraft flying at low altitudes - targets that are difficult to intercept by larger systems designed for greater distances.

If long-range air defense is the first line that tries to stop the threat from afar, SHORAD/VSHORAD is the protective fence around the objective, the layer that directly protects what matters.

The framework agreement provides for the signing of three subsequent contracts, through which a total of six integrated SHORAD-VSHORAD air defense systems, a training and teaching system, a simulation system for verifying and evaluating VSHORAD operators, six SHORAD systems, and six VSHORAD systems, including munitions, training, and logistical support, will be acquired. The total value of the acquisition is 10.33 billion LEI, excluding VAT, which is approximately 2.038 billion EURO, excluding VAT," announced the interim minister on Facebook.