Romania has initiated procedures to acquire 54 American Abrams M1A2 Main Battle Tanks. However, the objective is not merely to equip five battalions but rather to purchase a total of 300 tanks, according to a statement made by Major General Teodor Incicaș, head of the Directorate General for Armaments. The goal of this acquisition is to replace the old TR-85M1 tanks currently in service with the Romanian army.
The TR-85M1 is a modernized variant of the TR-85, a main battle tank utilized by the Romanian Land Forces. The original TR-85 was a Romanian-built version of the Soviet T-55 tank that entered into service in 1986. The TR-85M1, affectionately known as “Bizonul” or “The Bison”, came into existence in the early 1990s as a result of extensive modernizations of its predecessor. These modernizations spanned multiple aspects of the tank including enhancements to armor protection, the introduction of a new fire control system, improved night vision capabilities, and an upgrade to the engine.
It is possible that Romania may choose to acquire K-2 “Black Panther” tanks, similar to Poland’s decision.
However, the K-2 “Black Panther” is probably not the only one in the running: the Leopard 2A8 could also be among the possible candidates, especially since the Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, had discussions with German arms manufacturers during a recent trip to Berlin.