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For One Euro, Romania Secures 18 Dutch F-16s to Boost NATO and Ukraine Training
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Romania has formally taken ownership of 18 retired Dutch F-16 Fighting Falcon (Viper) fighter jets, completing a symbolic one-euro ($1.15) transfer that cements Bucharest’s role as the regional hub for NATO’s new European F-16 Training Center (EFTC)—where both Romanian and Ukrainian pilots are learning to fly the Viper, The War Zone reported on November 4.
The deal was finalized in Bucharest by Romanian Brig. Gen. Ion-Cornel Pleșa and Dutch official Linda Ruseler, and includes a €21 million ($24 million) VAT payment based on the aircraft’s declared value. It echoes the 2002 transfer of 22 German MiG-29s to Poland for the same token price.
F-16 UAF in action 🫡 pic.twitter.com/UHunhisjhO
— Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) September 29, 2025
Romanian Defense Minister Liviu-Ionuț Moșteanu said the move follows a memorandum signed with the Netherlands after June’s NATO summit.
“Considering the current geopolitical context and Romania’s strategic position in the Black Sea area, this center becomes essential for cross-border cooperation and for strengthening NATO’s security and solidarity,” the ministry said in a statement.
The 18 fighters, based at Romania’s 86th Air Base near Fetești, are now officially assigned to the EFTC, which trains NATO and Ukrainian pilots using aircraft previously flown by the Royal Netherlands Air Force.
Most of these jets once served in US pilot-training programs and were briefly slated for sale to private contractor Draken International before being overhauled in Belgium.
The EFTC—a joint effort between Romania, the Netherlands, Lockheed Martin, and now Draken International—offers complete conversion and refresher courses for F-16 crews, initially focusing on instructors and then on new pilots. All sorties are flown exclusively in NATO airspace.
Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans called the center “a textbook example of successful cooperation,” adding that Ukrainian pilots trained there “are already making a significant contribution to protecting their country against the terrible Russian airstrikes.”
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Ukraine has been promised 87 F-16s from the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and Norway, following the United States' approval of re-exports last year. The EFTC’s program allows Ukrainians to train alongside NATO personnel to common operational standards—a major step in Kyiv’s modernization of its air arm.
The F-16s transferred to Romania were replaced in Dutch service by the F-35A Lightning II, now responsible for the Netherlands’ nuclear-strike and frontline air-defense missions.
Romanian officials view the F-16 as an “intermediate stage” before the future acquisition of the F-35 after 2030.
Earlier, reports emerged that F-16 fighters supplied to Ukraine as part of Western military aid are now flying roughly 80% of the Ukrainian Air Force’s combat sorties.
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