DefMin Dincu: We will have production of subassemblies, drones, mini-subs in Romania
The Minister of National Defence Vasile Dincu declared on Tuesday that our country will manufacture drones and mini-subs in the next two or three years.
Asked, in Parliament, if it is possible in our country to open new units of arms manufacturing, Dincu said: "Certainly. We will have at least subassemblies, we will manufacture drones in Romania, we will have a production of mini-subs, we will have productions tied to arms and in the armored area as well. (...) In the coming years, two or three years, we will already have productions and we could even have them sooner. There are elements that have already begun, elements of joint-ventures made with important countries, such as Germany, Italy, the United States, Israel. (...) We already have maintenance units, such as the one in Bacau, maintenance for F16 aircraft, the national maintenance center, we hope that we will be able to accredit as many national centers for maintenance of armored vehicles as we can".
He added that Parliament will most likely approve next year to increase GDP spending for defence and that there is already an acquisition list in the plan within the strategic document of Romania's Army 2040.
"This means that we have a reporting and procurement threshold in 2026, one in 2032 and one in 2040. Obviously if we will have extra money we will first increase the percentage from this budget for procurement. It is the main aspect and certainly here we will bring projects that should have begun, for example, in 2027 or 2030, we will bring them closer, if we will manage. It is important to know what sums we will have, as well as the potency that it has and will have in the future, especially our defence industry, because at this point the most important thing would be to not buy everything from abroad, but rather to produce as much as we can in Romania," Dincu mentioned.