Romania picks Rheinmetall’s Lynx combat vehicle in $4 billion acquisition

WARSAW, Poland — The Romanian Ministry of National Defence has selected Rheinmetall’s Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicle to replace the military’s outdated Soviet-times MLI-84 tracked vehicle. The planned acquisition is estimated to be worth around €3.4 billion (US$4 billion).The IFV procurement was included on the list of projects that Bucharest aims to finance with the use of the European Union’s Security Action For Europe (SAFE) loans. On April 29, the national defense ministry submitted the list to the Romanian parliament for its approval, a spokesperson for the ministry told Defense News. The EU has made available to Romania around €16.7 billion in low-cost loans which potentially makes the country the second-largest beneficiary of the program, preceded only by Poland which was allocated roughly €44 billion. In addition to the tracked vehicle purchase, other military procurements that Romania seeks to finance with SAFE-backed loans include acquisitions of new helicopters, wheeled armored vehicles, air-defense systems, vessels, unmanned systems, as well as personal weapons and ammunition, among others.The IFV purchase is scheduled to be carried out in stages and completed in 2030, according to the ministry representative.“Under this initiative, 232 infantry fighting vehicles will be financed via the SAFE mechanism and produced by Rheinmetall at its Romanian facility in Mediaș. The remaining units, bringing the total to 298, will be covered through alternative funding sources. This program aims to equip the land forces with a total of 298 units,” the spokesperson said.To strengthen its foothold in the Romanian market, Rheinmetall purchased a majority stake in local military vehicle maker Automecanica Mediaș in 2024.The spokesperson said that the acquisition program will necessitate a considerable level of participation of Romania’s defense sector which is to cooperate with Rheinmetall.“It should be noted that the new procurement contracts will ensure the signifi