Romania Advances €7.5 Billion SAFE Procurement Package
Romania is moving forward with defense orders valued at around €7.5 billion under the European Union SAFE program. The package includes helicopters, radars, air defense systems, coastal defense equipment and drones planned for production with Ukrainian industry.
Romania has assembled defense orders worth approximately €7.5 billion under the European Union SAFE financing mechanism, with planned acquisitions covering air defense, coastal defense, helicopters, radars and unmanned systems.
The procurement list includes IRIS-T air defense systems, Naval Strike Missile coastal defense equipment and an unspecified drone type intended for joint production with Ukraine, according to information attributed to Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruță. The quantities, configuration and value of the planned drone order have not been disclosed.
Romania has also placed orders for 12 Airbus H225M helicopters valued at €852 million and 12 Thales GM200 radars worth €258 million. The helicopters are expected to support Romanian special operations forces.
A potential follow-on procurement could add 32 H225M helicopters for the Romanian Land Forces. Should that order proceed, production work is expected to involve Romanian aerospace company IAR Brașov, expanding the domestic industrial share of the program.
The reported €7.5 billion portfolio forms part of Romania’s wider use of the SAFE mechanism. Romanian lawmakers approved contracts worth €8.33 billion in April 2026, while the country can access up to €16.6 billion in long-term EU-backed financing through 2030. The funding is intended to support military procurement, domestic production and selected infrastructure projects linked to Ukraine and Moldova.
Rheinmetall is expected to account for around €5 billion of Romania’s SAFE-supported contracts. Planned projects involving the German group include ammunition production, infantry fighting vehicles, Skynex air defense systems, tanks and the construction of four corvettes at the Mangalia shipyard by 2030. Airbus is also expected to conduct helicopter production in Romania for multiple European customers.
Eight SAFE-funded contracts are intended to provide Romania with radar and counter-drone capabilities. The investment reflects Bucharest’s requirement to strengthen surveillance and air defense along NATO’s eastern flank, where Russian attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure near the Danube have repeatedly created risks for Romanian airspace.
The planned drone cooperation with Ukraine has a separate allocation of €200 million under SAFE. The project foresees production in Romania with Ukrainian companies, including technology transfer, local infrastructure and the adaptation of Ukrainian designs to Romanian military requirements.
The type of drone selected for the program has not been announced. Ukrainian manufacturers have presented systems to Romanian authorities, but neither side has publicly confirmed the final platform, production volume or delivery schedule.
For Romania, the initiative could add domestic capacity in a rapidly expanding segment of the defense market. It would also integrate Ukrainian operational experience into an EU-funded industrial project while giving Ukrainian manufacturers a potential production base inside NATO and the European Union.
The broader procurement package marks a significant expansion of Romania’s defense-industrial plans. It combines immediate equipment requirements with local manufacturing, technology transfer and investment in Romanian production facilities.
