Romania’s Defense Ministry has canceled its only tender for the acquisition of military drones, despite rising security risks in the region.
Since 2020, the Ministry of National Defense has obtained the approval in the Parliament for the acquisition of 7 tactical-operational UAS class II drone systems (a total of 21 unmanned aircraft, 3 per system), plus an initial logistical support package. The contract estimated by the Ministry of National Defense would be about $ 277 million plus VAT.
The only tender launched, where there was only one competitor proposing the production of unmanned aircraft in the country, has now been canceled by the Ministry of National Defense on the grounds that some specifications did not comply with the requirements of the specifications.
The only drone left in the race during the MApN procurement procedure was the model Watchkeeper X , a drone modified according to the requirements of the British army based on the famous Hermes 450 drone from Elbit.
Watchkeeper X, a surveillance and reconnaissance drone, but also with attack possibilities, was proposed by the U-TacS joint venture, between Elbit and Thales. Elbit was in charge of promoting the drone in Romania, and the offer involved the drone being built in Romania, where Elbit is already building parts and components for its drones, including the Hermes 450.
MApN on the cancellation of the auction on drones: “non-conformities between the characteristics of the offered product and the technical requirements”
“The procurement procedure related to the endowment program” UAS Tactical-Operational System Class II “(UAS-TO) was canceled due to non-conformities between the characteristics of the product offered by the economic agent and the technical requirements contained in the specifications”,
said MApN at the request of HotNews.ro.
“At this moment, the concrete ways of resuming the procurement procedure are under analysis”,
the ministry headed by Vasile Dîncu also transmits.
Elbit about the drones offered: “Configuration equivalent and superior to the requirements”
On the other hand, the Elbit company, which owns the U-Tacs joint venture with Thales, stated for HotNews.ro through its representatives that the Watchkeeper X drone proposed to Romania came in a “configuration equivalent and superior to the requirements” of the Ministry of National Defense.
“As we have demonstrated during the entire competitive procedure, the advanced and updated solution we proposed for the UAS-TO program was the optimal one for Romania both in terms of military capabilities and economic and industrial benefits. We are confident in the capacity of the Ministry of National Defense to solve the remaining bureaucratic problem for the realization of this procurement program so important for Romania and for the local armament industry “,
the Elbit representatives transmitted to HotNews.ro.
What STANAG asked MApN and what STANAG offered the manufacturer
According to HotNews.ro sources, the Ministry of National Defense decided to cancel the procedure, claiming that some components on the communications side of the drone did not comply with some STANAG standards required in the specifications.
Informed sources explained to HotNews.ro that the requests of the Ministry of Defense come based on an older configuration that the Watchkeeper drone no longer has, moving to something newer, and in its offer the manufacturer offered a solution based on the STANAG 4586 standard which would be response, ultimately, to the achievement of the same purpose of communication / transmission and control of the drone.
Hence the official response of the company which speaks of “a configuration equivalent and superior to the requirements”.
Is there a quick purchase before and without the drones being built in the country?
Now, after almost two years lost in this canceled procurement procedure, and under the urgency of the Russian-Ukrainian war near Romania’s borders, the Romanian state could turn to other “solutions” for a quick purchase.
Thus, we could even see the discussion promoted for a Government-to-Government acquisition – either for used drones or for new drones but already produced off-the-shelf – in both cases losing practically one of the the most important components of the program: production in the country.
In the case of the Watchkeeper X drone proposed by Elbit, it would have been produced and assembled in Romania with the help of local partners Aerostar, Romaero, AE-Electronics, ELMET and SIMULTEC, according to the manufacturer:
– Local production of UAS components (Aerostar, Romaero, A / E Electronics and Elmet)
– UAS (Aerostar) Local Assembly and Maintenance Center
– Complete training solution and flight simulators (Simultec Magurele).
Watchkeeper X is a drone with the main role of reconnaissance and surveillance and, optionally, can also be equipped with guided air-to-ground missiles.
Watchkeeper X is based on the Elbit Hermes 450 platform, but has been developed and customized according to NATO standards and the specific requirements of the British Army and is a product of a joint venture between Thales and Elbit.
The drone is capable of taking off and landing automatically and can also operate on unpaved runways (eg grass or sand), is equipped with two types of sensors: multispectral sensors (electro-optical and infrared), but also a radar covering an area of 100 kilometers and can detect, identify and monitor moving targets.
Watchkeeper X has a range of 16 hours, a flight speed of about 200 kilometers per hour and is able to operate in all weather conditions and in all seasons, with its own defrost system.
Source: Hot News