Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.
The European Commission has approved the financing of five defence procurement projects under the European Defence Industrial Facility, which will benefit from a total of €300 million. The first concerns the purchase of Mistral systems, with a range of up to 6-8 km, by Romania and France, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Spain, Hungary, Slovenia and Denmark.
“The Commission has approved funding for five cross-border projects to support more coordinated and efficient defence procurement among EU Member States. Implemented under the European Defence Industry Reinforcement through Common Procurement instrument (EDIRPA), each of the 5 selected projects will receive €60 million, representing a total amount of €300 million funding.
Two projects will bolster joint air and missile defence capabilities. The ‘MISTRAL’ project supports the common procurement of ‘Mistral’ very short-range air defence systems by nine Member States (FR, BE, CY, EE, ES, HU, SI, RO, DK). Another project, ‘JAMIE’ (for ‘Joint Air Missile Defence Initiative in Europe), will result in the common procurement of IRIS-T SLM medium-range air defence systems by six Member States (DE, SI, BG, AT, EE, LV). These are systems for protection against air threats such as combat aircraft, attack helicopters and unmanned air systems”, says a press release.
The French-made Mistral system is available in both a portable version and for use on launch platforms. It is designed to hit helicopters and aircraft flying at relatively low altitudes, being equipped with an infrared search sensor and advanced image processing capabilities.
A second project, “JAMIE”, refers to the purchase of IRIS-T SLM systems by six states. Two other projects refer to the joint acquisition of various types of 155 mm artillery ammunition, while the last one concerns the procurement of CAVS armored personnel carriers. The European executive did not specify the costs of each piece of armament.
“This is the first time we use EU budget to support Member States in commonly procuring defence products. This operation has been a success: we are investing €300 million into 5 projects addressing critical and urgent defence capability gaps. This will allow to provide better value for money for national defence budgets, improve the interoperability of European armed forces, strengthen our industry and make Europe better prepared to face defence threats. Importantly, the selected projects will also increase our support to Ukraine, with additional defence equipment,” said Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age, according to a EC press release.
DONATE: Support our work
In an ever changing and challenging world, the media is constantly struggling to resist. Romania Journal makes no exception. We’ve been informing you, our readers, for almost 10 years, as extensively as we can, but, as we reject any state funding and private advertising is scarce, we need your help to keep on going.So, if you enjoy our work, you can contribute to endorse the Romania Journal team. Any amount is welcome, no strings attached. Choose to join with one of the following options:
Donate with PayPal
Donate by Bank Wire
Black Zonure SRLUniCredit Bank. Swift: BACXROBU
RON: RO84 BACX 0000 0022 3589 1000
EURO: RO57 BACX 0000 0022 3589 1001
USD: RO30 BACX 0000 0022 3589 1002