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Partner nation Romania will offer three dynamic displays
This year's special partner nation, Romania, is planning to make full use of this role at NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days. Visitors to the event can expect a comprehensive presentation of the Romanian Air Force, including dynamic demonstrations of the MiG-21 fighter, IAR 99 Soim training aircraft, and IAR 330 Puma helicopter.
These mentioned aircraft also serve as a presentation of the Romanian defence industry, which took part in their production or modernization programs. The same airplanes will be presented on static displays, where they will be accompanied by a transport aircraft C-27J Spartan.
“This list of both dynamic and static displays shows that Romania has taken over the role of a partner country very seriously. In particular, we are pleased to see the interesting premiere of the IAR 330 helicopter, and other equipment that is not so common at other European events,” says Zbyněk Pavlačík, chairman of Jagello 2000.“ Moreover, Romania will make a significant contribution to the celebration of the foundation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the anniversary of joining NATO.”
"The performance of the Romanian MiG 21 LanceR C will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of this year's NATO Days in Ostrava. Its new display pilot demonstrates the aircraft’s capabilities in a full aerobatic demonstration," says Jan Čadil, editor-in-chief of Aviation + Cosmonautics. "The IAR-99 Soim and IAR-330 are virtually not seen abroad except for military exercises. So in their cases it is a truly rare presence, even though NATO Days have already witnessed IAR 99’s performance in 2010."
Legendary Soviet supersonic fighter MiG-21 belonged to the standard armament of the Eastern Bloc countries. With over eleven thousand built it is the most produced supersonic aircraft so far. It was designed primarily for air combat, but some versions of the aircraft were modified for attacks on ground targets. Romanian airplanes were upgraded to the version of the LanceR, which, among other things, allows them to use western ammunition, but is expected to be decommissioned and replaced by the US F-16 fighters.
In distinction, the two-seat IAR 99 Șoim was completely developed and constructed by the Romanian company Avioane Craiova and can be only found in the armament of Romania. In the 1990s, it was modernized to match the requirements for the future LanceR pilots. IAR 99 is currently under development for another modernization. However, the IAR 99 may not only serve as a training aircraft and can be used for air support or reconnaissance.
IAR 330 SOCAT is a combat helicopter, which came up from a licensed version of the French-British SA 330 Puma helicopter. Romanian company Industria Aeronautică Română started their production in 1974, but the armed version called SOCAT was not produced until the 1990s. Armament of this helicopter consists of a 20mm cannon, two 7.62 machine guns and up to 8 anti-tank or air-to-air missiles. Romania is using around sixty IAR 330 helicopters, besides Romania, IAR 330 is also in active service in Kenya, United Arab Emirates or Sudan.
The two-engine medium transport aircraft C-27J Spartan is the only one of the list that did not come through the Romanian factories, as it was developed by the Italian company Alenia Aeronautica. Its primary role is to transport personnel and equipment to foreign operations. The C-27 Spartan can be found in the inventory of many NATO states, in addition to Romania, Slovakia, and Lithuania, it is also used by the United States, Italy, and Greece.
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