Report and photo by Robin Polderman
Following our earlier news item reporting the delivery of the final F-16 for Romania’s second squadron, news surfaced concerning the establishment of the third squadron, and the airbase to operate the type.
In the Pro Patria video journal of the Romanian MoD, General Nicolae Crețu, base commander of the Baza 57 Aeriană (57th Air Base) at Mihail Kogalniceanu, announced it would be ‘his’ base hosting the third Romanian Air Force (RoAF) F-16 squadron. According to General Crețu , the squadron will be formed soon and its name and number will be revealed during the establishment ceremony.
The Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase, close to Romania’s port city of Constanţa on the Black Sea, is currently undergoing a modernization project, including the construction of a second runway, at a cost of 2 billion euros (US$ 2.09 billion) and is likely not ready for the F-16 before 2027.
The ongoing overhaul of Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase will see the third F-16 squadron operating from another location. The General stated this would be either Borcea-Feteşti or Câmpia Turzii, which are the current two RoAF F-16 bases. With the former quite busy as, apart from the 53rd Fighter sqn, it also houses the EFTC (European F-16 Training Center) and its eighteen F-16s, we assume the third squadron will temporarily operate out of Câmpia Turzii.
With 16 out of 32 former-Norwegian F-16s on order delivered, the remaining sixteen are planned to arrive during the 2025 – 2026 time frame.