Romanian army to possibly get M1A2 Abrams tanks to equip one battalion.

What DefenseRomania has been announcing for almost a year, namely Romania's intention to purchase Abrams tanks, has been confirmed by the Romanian Ministry of Defense, the media writes. According to DefenseRomania, the confirmation of the Abrams purchase came from Major General Teodor Incicaș, head of the General Directorate for Armaments. The official of the Ministry of National Defense said in the Ministry's weekly podcast that the request for the purchase of American Abrams tanks is to be sent to Parliament.
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An M1A2 Abrams from 5-7 CAV crosses a small bridge in Cincu, Romania, on Nov. 24, 2015 (Picture source: U.S. Army/Capt. Jennifer Cruz)

Romania-insider.com writes the same as DefenseRomania does: the number of Abrams tanks to be purchased might be 54: indeed, Major General Teodor Incicaș confirmed that a NATO-size battalion would be so equipped. But at this stage, this purchase remains an assumption as long as it is not confirmed by an official document. Furthermore, the selected variant of M1A2 Abrams is not determined, so far.

"These days, we will send to the Romanian Parliament, for the prior approval of the Parliament, the purchases that refer to the howitzers propelled on tracks. Also the tracked infantry fighting vehicle, short and very short-range air defense systems, but also two types of missiles for F-16 aircraft. At the same time, we are in the process of moving towards the prior approval of the Parliament, our requests regarding the approval of a battalion of Abrams tanks ", confirmed the representative of the Ministry of Defense quoted by DefenseRomania.

Why has Romania chosen the Abrams? Major General Teodor Incicaș specified that the decision belonged to the General Staff of the Land Forces and was taken following an evaluation. He went further by saying that "the Abrams protection system is a high-performance one and new equipment will be integrated on the tanks in accordance with the version required by our Army".

"The General Staff of the Land Forces considered that, for the mission of the brigade that it wants to strengthen with this type of tank, Abrams is the best means and has a uniqueness in carrying out the missions", added the head of the General Directorate for Armaments in the Ministry of Defense of Romania.

Another important aspect, DefenseRomania reports, will be that the acquisition will be done through the G2G (government-to-government) procedure, in the context where the acquisition only targets one battalion: "Regarding this tank, being a battalion, the product will be acquired through a government-to-government procurement, not being sold in a commercial system of the direct relationship with the company," concluded major general Teodor Incicaș.

Defense News March 2023