Israel’s Rafael wins $2.2 billion Romania military tech deal

Romania selects Rafael’s air defense system in second-largest Israeli arms deal ever.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli military technology company Rafael has secured a $2.2 billion deal to supply Romania with a missile defense system, the Romanian Ministry of Defense announced in a statement on Monday.

Romania said it will be acquiring Rafael’s Very Short and Short Range Air Defense (V/SHORAD) program after a tender process that saw numerous companies compete for the contract.

The V/SHORAD acquisition is part of an overhaul of Romania’s air defense systems, which is partially funded by the European Union, the Romanian Ministry of Defense said.

The agreement marks the second-largest defense sale in Israel’s history. The largest to date was the 2023 sale of the Arrow 3 air defense system to Germany by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), valued at $3.5 billion.

The previous record for most lucrative defense deal was an April 2017 sale of the Barak 8 (MRSAM) systems for $1.6 billion to India.

A month later, in May 2017, naval versions of the Barak 8 missiles were sold to India in a separate standalone deal, worth an additional $630 million.

While the Romanian Ministry of Defense did not provide specific details about the V/SHORAD system it is purchasing from Rafael, Israeli analysts believe the solution is the SPYDER air defense system.

The truck-mounted system includes launchers firing Python-5 missiles, which utilize both radar and active infrared homing technology.

The versatile system is said to be effective against a diverse range of aerial threats, including drones, helicopters, and even fighter jets.

The SPYDER system is currently used in several countries, including the Czech Republic and Morocco.

In May, Romania announced that it was planning to purchase 41 Iron Dome launchers from Rafael in a separate defense deal.

“Rafael is a global expert and a leading developer of air defense systems that have proven themselves in combat against a myriad of advanced threats and at various ranges,” Brigadier General (Res.) Pini Yungman, executive vice president and head of Rafael’s Air Defense Division, said in January 2024, following a successful test of the SPYDER system.

“The success of the current test with the SPYDER All‑in‑One system represents another technological breakthrough that Rafael pioneered, providing solutions tailored to different evolving threats in various arenas.”