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Arms industry in Romania

Before 1989, Romania was among the top ten arms exporters in the world, however its arms industry declined considerably during the 1990s. Exports fell from roughly $1 billion before 1989 to about $43 million in 2006, and the number of employees also fell from 220,000 in 1990 to 20,000 in 2009. Sales to the Romanian Armed Forces have plunged after Romania's accession to NATO in 2004, as factories continue to produce Warsaw Pact-caliber weapons and ammunition, which are incompatible with their Western counterparts.

As of 2009, sales are roughly evenly divided between the Romanian state and foreign customers such as European Union and Arab countries such as Egypt, Algeria and Iraq. Other countries which have shown interest in Romanian equipment include Afghanistan, Israel, Switzerland, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, India, Georgia and a slew of African countries. There have been some signs of slight recovery, with exports reaching €141 million in 2009. However, the arms industry in Romania still lagged behind neighboring countries such as Ukraine, Bulgaria and Serbia.

With the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, Romania's arms exports sharply increased, passing over €1 billion worth of exports in 2023. In 2024, 864 million euros of arms exports were reported. Some of the top customers for Romanian arms, which included small arms, ammunition, optics and other subassemblies, were Israel, Ukraine, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and the United States.

Manufacturers

Weapons and equipment

Small arms

Remote controlled weapon stations

AFVs

Artillery

  • M30M 122 mm howitzer (modernized M1938 (M-30) variant)
  • 30 mm x 3 towed anti-aircraft gun
  • M1988 60 mm infantry mortar
  • 81/82 mm infantry mortar
  • 120 mm infantry mortar
  • 76 mm mountain gun (based on the M48)
  • 98 mm mountain howitzer
  • M1977 100 mm antitank gun (similar to the 2A19/T-12)
  • M1982 130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46)
  • M1981 152 mm towed gun-howitzer M1955 (D-20)
  • M1985 152 mm howitzer (based on the D-20, similar to the 2A65 Msta-B)
  • M-1989 122 mm self-propelled howitzer 2S1
  • APR-21 122 mm x 21 rockets
  • APR-40 122 mm x 40 rockets
  • LAROM MLRS 122 mm x 20 rockets (x 2 containers) / 160 mm x 13 rockets (x 2 containers)
  • ATROM 155 mm self-propelled howitzer system

Unmanned systems

Aircraft

  • IAR 316 training helicopter
  • IAR 330 utility helicopter
  • IAR 330 SOCAT attack helicopter
  • IAR 330 NAVAL naval helicopter
  • IAR 99 jet trainer and light attack aircraft
  • IAR-93 ground attack aircraft and low level interceptor

Warships

Weapons produced during World War II and the Interwar period

Non-self-propelled weapons

Romanian monthly armament production (October 1942)

AFVs

Aircraft

Warships

Weapons produced during World War I and prior

Artillery

AFVs

  • Automobil Blindat CFR 1915 armored car (2 built)

Aircraft

Warships

See also

References