Romania will put in service its MiG-21 LanceR aircraft for a limited period of one year, the Ministry of Defence announced. Until May 15, 2023, the aircraft will be used exclusively for air policing and pilot training missions.

The ministry grounded the MIG-21 fleet earlier this year after the latest of a series of accidents.

At the same time with deciding to keep in use the MIG-21 aircraft for one more year, the ministry assured that it would accelerate procedures to bring in the country the second batch of F-16 jets acquired from Norway.

"Based on the decision of the Supreme Council of National Defense for the approval of the memorandum on decommissioning the MiG-21 LanceR aircraft and for the accelerated replacement with F-16 aircraft, the flight activities involving MiG-21 LanceR aircraft were resumed starting with Monday, May 23, for approximately one year," the Ministry of Defense announced on May 24.

After this date, these aircraft will be removed from the service of the Romanian Air Force.

andrei@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Ministerul Apararii Nationale)