LISBON, Portugal, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- The government of Portugal is selling a dozen surplus F-16 aircraft to Romania in a deal worth $252.3 million, the two governments announced.
Nine single-seat F-16s will come from Portugal's Air Force, while three double-set variants will be provided for the sale by the United States through a third-party transfer deal.
All the aircraft will be modernized by Portugal's OGMA-Indústria Aeronautica de Portugal before being delivered to the Romanian Air Force in 2016.
Nine Romanian pilots and more than 70 technicians will receive training in Portugal on the aircraft, the Portuguese Ministry of Defense said.
Romania plans for the F-16s to become operational in 2017, increasing the Romanian Air Force's interoperability with NATO forces.
"Based on the contract with the government of the Portuguese Republic, and the successive contracts to be concluded with the U.S. government, Romania will use these aircraft to strengthening the security of national airspace and will increase interoperability with NATO forces," Romania's Ministry of Defense said.
