For One Euro, Romania 🇷🇴 Secures 18 Dutch F-16s to Boost NATO and Ukraine Training

11/06/2025

Romania has formally taken ownership of 18 retired Dutch F-16 Fighting Falcon (Viper) fighter jets, completing a symbolic one-euro ($1.15) transfer that cements Bucharest’s role as the regional hub for NATO’s new European F-16 Training Center (EFTC)—where both Romanian and Ukrainian pilots are learning to fly the Viper, The War Zone reported on November 4.

The deal was finalized in Bucharest by Romanian Brig. Gen. Ion-Cornel Pleșa and Dutch official Linda Ruseler, and includes a €21 million ($24 million) VAT payment based on the aircraft’s declared value. It echoes the 2002 transfer of 22 German MiG-29s to Poland for the same token price.

Romanian Defense Minister Liviu-Ionuț Moșteanu said the move follows a memorandum signed with the Netherlands after June’s NATO summit.

“Considering the current geopolitical context and Romania’s strategic position in the Black Sea area, this center becomes essential for cross-border cooperation and for strengthening NATO’s security and solidarity,” the ministry said in a statement.

The 18 fighters, based at Romania’s 86th Air Base near Fetești, are now officially assigned to the EFTC, which trains NATO and Ukrainian pilots using aircraft previously flown by the Royal Netherlands Air Force.