Romania could soon sign the contract for the purchase of weapons worth more than EUR 800 million, negotiated with US arms manufacturer Sig Sauer, according to G4Media sources.
The funding is expected to come through the EU-backed SAFE defense fund, but it will be a joint arrangement with Ukraine and/or the Republic of Moldova.
Defense Minister Radu Oprea announced that the weapons to be delivered under the contract are being tested in the US.
The purchase of NATO-standard individual weapons for Romania’s defense and public order forces is a project of major strategic importance, worth more than EUR 800 million. A consortium led by US company Sig Sauer was selected as the winner of the contract for individual weapons this year. However, the selection procedure was challenged by Italian manufacturer Beretta, which asked the Romanian state to restart the procedure and make it transparent.
The procedure was not restarted, and on June 1, the MAI announced that it had not signed the purchase contract with Sig Sauer within the deadline set by the European Union.
Initially, the program was managed by the Ministry of National Defense (MApN), but it was later transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI). The beneficiaries are the MAI, MApN, and the intelligence services.
May 30 was the deadline by which Romania could sign individual financing contracts through SAFE. However, an industrial cooperation agreement was signed between Sig Sauer, through its local subsidiary SSI Legion, and the Ministry of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism.
There is still one chance to save the funding, namely through a joint procurement agreement with other countries, for which the EU-set deadline to sign the contract has been moved to 2027.
In this context, on Thursday, November 5, Romanian defense minister Radu Oprea met with Paul Jacob Strebel, Managing Director of Sig Sauer.
“We discussed concrete next steps in the ‘NATO-standard Individual Weapon System (SAI)’ program. Tests are currently underway in the US. If they are passed, the purchase contract and the industrial cooperation agreement will be signed,” the minister announced.
Romania is also interested in bringing technology, expertise, and production capacity to the country, according to the minister.
Sig Sauer already has approval from the US for the transfer of production licenses and technology to Romania. These licenses include production technology for the assault rifle, the 9 mm pistol, and the grenade launcher to production facilities in Romania, including subsidiaries of Romarm (Fabrica de Arme Cugir, Uzina Mecanică Cugir, and Uzina Mecanică Sadu).
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