EconMin: Romania, first country that could use latest version of Patriot system on ground

The Minister of Economy Florin Spataru declared on Wednesday, in Prahova, that Romania will become the first country that could use the newest version of the Patriot anti-air and anti-missile defence system on the ground.

He participated, along with the Minister of Defence Vasile Dincu, at the headquarters of Electromecanica Ploiesti, in the signing ceremony of the memorandum between the Romarm National Company, Electromecanica and Raytheon Missiles & Defence for manufacturing SkyCeptor intercepting missiles in Romania.

"Romania will become the first country that could use on the ground the newest version of the Patriot anti-air and anti-missile defence system, manufactured by Raytheon Missiles & Defence, a division of Raytheon Technologies. Military acquisitions, industrial cooperation and the development of a strong national defence industry are vital elements for shaping the security profile of Romania, a member of the European Union and NATO. (...) I am expecting to have a functional collaboration in the shortest time, a long-term process and a development strategy for the two companies that come in to support Romania's defence strategy, but also to join in in supporting Romania's positioning as a strategic supplier in Europe and in the international military equipment environment," Spataru said.

In context, he referred to the war in Ukraine, showing that public-private partnerships represent the structure which the defence industry must function in the long-term.

In turn, the Minister of Defence highlighted the importance of revitalizing the defence industry.

"I am glad that Electromecanica Ploiesti is a partner and can be a partner for such an important player on the global defence market. Raytheon Technologies is a very important partner for the Ministry of National Defence, we have a lot of acquisition projects, exceptional collaboration with one of the most important players in the global defence industry market," Vasile Dincu declared.

Furthermore, he said that this type of missiles is adapted for the Patriot system, is cutting edge and has a "fantastic advantage" because it is cheaper.

Skyceptor is a long-range interceptor that has low costs and is developed for defending against ballistic and cruise missiles and is proposed for future integration with the Patriot Air&Missiles Defence," said Wesley D. Kremer, the chairman of the American company Raytheon.AGERPRES