On December 1, Romania will hold a military parade as part of the celebration of National Day, which will be broadcast live for the first time. Additionally, it will feature unmanned aerial vehicles for the first time in such an event, specifically Turkish reconnaissance-strike drones of the Bayraktar TB2 type, which will fly alongside American multi-role fighters F-16, also part of the Romanian military's arsenal.
This information comes from the Romanian publication Defense Romania citing the country’s Ministry of National Defense [Ministerul apărării naţionale, MApN]. The exact number of Bayraktar TB2 drones participating in the parade has not been disclosed.
It is worth noting that the direct agreement for the procurement of Bayraktar TB2 drones between Romania and Turkey was made public in the spring of 2023. For 300 million, Bucharest will receive three systems with six UAVs each, totaling 18 drones, along with accompanying equipment and a support package.
The first drones were integrated into the country's land forces in June 2024, and all 18 units of Bayraktar TB2 are expected to be delivered by the end of the following year.
The publication also emphasizes that in addition to the Turkish drones, in 2022, the country's defense ministry also procured Israeli Watchkeeper X drones from Elbit Systems, totaling 21 UAVs (three systems with seven drones each).
However, an important distinction compared to the agreement with Turkey is that the Watchkeeper drones for the Romanian military will be produced with the involvement of Romania's defense industry.
Earlier, Defense Express reported that Romania ordered 1000 Turkish Cobra II armored vehicles with localization.