Night of the mind! Romania takes from the USA, at an exorbitant price, tanks that are too heavy to be transported on the country’s roads

Romania purchases Abrams tanks from the USA, at an overpriced price, that cannot be transported on the country’s roads, according to an international analysis published by the Defense EXpress portal, writes Newsweek.

The analysis reveals that Romania needs 300 modern tanks and that, so far, it has managed to acquire only 50 from the USA. The author of the article says that the purchase price of an Abrams tank is greatly inflated, and sales to other countries seem to confirm this.

The authors point out that Romania needs to rebuild its road infrastructure, because the Abrams tanks are much too heavy and cannot be transported across the country. However, Romanian authorities seem to simply ignore that Romania’s transport infrastructure is not designed for vehicles as large as the M1 Abrams, so the country’s roads will have to be literally rebuilt.

Defense Express writes, citing sources from Bucharest, that the Romanian Ministry of Defense is inclined to also purchase K2 tanks from South Korea, but before making a final decision, tests of this armored combat vehicle must take place on Romanian territory .

The Romanian Ministry of Defense now intends to expand the range of weapons it intends to buy from South Korea, and in addition to the contracted K9 and K2 tanks, it is also considering the option of purchasing the K21 Redback infantry fighting vehicles, the same source writes.

The authors ask why it was necessary for Romania to turn its attention to Korea.

“Why was the already agreed purchase of 54 M1 Abrams tanks from the United States, worth $1 billion, not enough for Romania? And why couldn’t Bucharest simply increase its existing Abrams order?”.

And they also offer the answer: “The United States agreed to sell Romania only 54 tanks, at the exorbitant price of 1 billion dollars. Consequently, Bucharest, with its ambition to receive up to 300 new tanks to replace the aging TR-85 and the modernized TR-85M1 Bizon, must look for additional options for modern armored fighting vehicles.”

There is an error in the military analysts’ account, as breakingdefence writes that the price is much higher: “The US State Department has approved Romania’s purchase of 54 M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams main battle tanks, with a potential price of 2.53 billion USD.

The potential sale was announced on the website of the Security and Defense Cooperation Agency (DSCA). The announcements made by the DSCA are not final, as Congress can still step in and oppose the sale, although this is almost certain not to happen in the case of three NATO nations. It is important to note that final quantities and total dollar amounts may change during negotiations.”

It is not the first decision of this kind taken by the Romanian government. In March 2024, it was decided that Romania would purchase two anti-ship helicopters from France at the colossal price of 165 million euros, about 10% more than the army estimated in the program approved by Parliament two years ago.

The most expensive helicopters ever bought by Romania will be produced in France, although in our country, in Brașov, there is an Airbus factory.