Romanian state-owned military equipment supplier Romarm and its subsidiary Electromecanica Ploiesti have signed a memorandum with Raytheon Missiles & Defense to start manufacturing SkyCeptor interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems, the Romanian Ministry of Economy said, echoed by Nicoleta Balina reports in SeeNews.
The missiles will be manufactured at Romarm’s plant in Ploiesti and will be delivered to the domestic and foreign markets, Economy minister Florin Spataru said during the signing ceremony. A variant of the Stunner hit-to-kill missile, the SkyCeptor interceptor, is developed to defeat short- to medium-range ballistic and cruise missiles and other advanced air defense threats, according to the information posted on Raytheon’s website. “Romanian defense industry has all the possibilities and resources to revive itself and become an important part of the national economy,” Defense minister Vasile Dincu said during the event.
In September 2020, Romania received the first Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) system from Raytheon and is expecting three more by the end of 2022. In October 2020, Romanian aerospace company Romaero became a global supplier of components for the Patriot air and missile defense, Nicoleta Balina recalls.