The Romanian Minister of National Defence, Angel Tîlvar, participated in the inauguration ceremony of the HIMARS National Maintenance Center on Thursday, May 30th, at Aerostar Bacau. As a result of the collaboration between Lockheed Martin and Aerostar SA Companies, Bacau Center will provide technical support to the HIMARS systems purchased by Romania from the Government of the United States of America. Minister Tîlv?r appreciated the establishment of the Center as an exceptional achievement of the collaboration between the Romanian company Aerostar S.A. and the American company Lockheed Martin, by which our country makes its entry into the global network of maintenance and logistical support facilities for one of the most modern and advanced artillery systems at the moment.
“In addition to the strategic advantage of having in Romania, in the current security context, a secure solution for the maintenance of our own HIMARS systems, the establishment of this center creates the opportunity for the countries in the area whose armed forces are equipped with such systems to send their equipment for maintenance or repair works here, in Bac?u, where they will benefit from the expertise of the best specialists in the field in the region. The HIMARS Maintenance Center inaugurated today will also have an impact on the economic development of the area – no less than 2,000 residents of Bac?u working here, in highly qualified positions, through the involvement of one of the most important companies of the national industry, Aerostar Bac?u,” Angel Tîlv?r stated.
The Minister of National Defence reiterated the determination of the institution he leads to connect the national defence industry to all the procurement programs it plans, both at the level of the maintenance of the latest generation equipment provided to equip the armed forces and, above all, throughout the integration of the manufactured parts, to the largest extent as possible, in Romania. Romania procured three HIMARS systems manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corporation, based on Law no.46/2018 on the buidling of “The indirect fire support capability” related to the “Long Range Multiple Rocket Launcher” Procurement Program. The first two systems were delivered in 2021 and 2023, teh third being scheduled to be delivered this year.
In order to ensure a complex maintenance level for these systems on the national territory, the Ministry of National Defence requested the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism to establish a procedure in order to designate a specific center, in accordance with the provisions of Law no. 232/2016 on the national defence industry. Following this procedure, the memorandum was approved, the chosen company being SC AEROSTAR Bac?u SA. The initiative aims at developing critical facilities for the country’s defence infrastructure, the two ministries adopting a proactive approach to develop capabilities that contribute to national security and defence.
