The Romanian army's 74th Patriot Regiment conducts the country's first Patriot missile live-fire exercise at the Capu Midia range in November 2023. The State Department on April 28, 2025, approved Romania’s acquisition of a new $280 million Patriot system, which includes advanced radars, global positioning technology and missile launchers. (U.S. Army Security Assistance Command)
STUTTGART, Germany — Romania will add a new American-made Patriot system to its air defense arsenal, a move that will bolster allied defenses in the strategic Black Sea region, U.S. officials said this week.
The State Department on Monday approved Romania’s acquisition of a $280 million Patriot Air Defense System, which includes advanced radars, global positioning technology and missile launchers.
“Romania’s commitment to integrated air defense strengthens protection of Romanian territory and the NATO alliance, making America and our allies safer,” U.S. Ambassador to Romania Kathleen Kavalec said in a statement Tuesday.
Romania’s purchase of the system, which is expected to receive final approval from Congress soon, replaces a similar system that the country donated to Ukraine in September.
That donation was part of a broader effort to help Ukraine upgrade its air defenses against Russian missile attacks.
Patriots, which can detect and shoot down a wide range of ballistic missiles and other airborne threats, have long been a linchpin of U.S. and allied air defense plans.
The State Department, in its approval of the sale, said the deal will improve the security of an ally that is “an important force for political and economic stability in Europe.” Romania serves as a hub for U.S. forces in the Black Sea region and has undertaken a multiyear effort to modernize its military. In 2020, Romania received its first of seven Patriot systems as part of a $3.9 billion acquisition.
The country also has been spending billions to expand Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base near the coastal city of Constanta, where the majority of the roughly 3,000 U.S. troops in Romania are based.
