Romanian Army conducts live-fire exercise with the Patriot missile system

The Romanian Army conducted a live-fire exercise with the Patriot missile system at the Capu Midia firing range (Constanța) between December 2 and 12.

The exercise aimed to verify the system's functionality and validate it through live-fire drills, as well as to prepare for increased operational capacity.

“A Patriot surface-to-air missile battery from the 74th Regiment carried out a training sequence as part of the tactical exercise with troops and live-fire drills conducted at the Capu Midia surface-to-air firing range,” said the Ministry of Defense in a press release.

As a result of the exercise, the Patriot system in the inventory of the 74th Regiment has been certified and will perform combat duty alongside other capabilities of the Air Force. The 74th Patriot Regiment is equipped with three long-range Patriot surface-to-air missile systems.

Romania signed an agreement for seven Patriot batteries in a contract worth USD 3.9 billion in 2017, with the contract awarded to American manufacturers Raytheon and Lockheed-Martin a year later.

Back in June of this year, Romania’s Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT) decided to donate a Patriot missile system to Ukraine on the condition that the allies replace it with a similar air defense system. President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Romania for the donation publicly.

In October, the Norwegian government decided to contribute USD 127 mln to the purchase of a Patriot system for Romania. The contribution is part of the Immediate Action on Air Defense Initiative coordinated by Germany.

(Photo source: Forţele Aeriene Române on Facebook)