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Türkiye's defense industry is a "very good example" for Romania as it looks to move beyond parts manufacturing into joint drone and unmanned vehicle projects with Turkish firms, Romarm General Director Razvan-Marian Pircalabescu told Türkiye Today at the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum (NSDIF26) in Ankara. The head of Romania's largest state-run defense company signaled that more Turkish-built warships could follow the newly delivered CAm Roman corvette.
However, he also revealed frustration with Turkish armored vehicle maker Otokar over its choice of Romanian partner.
Asked whether Türkiye serves as a model for Romania's defense sector, Pircalabescu praised its scale and scope. "Very good example, your defense industry is very big, and you develop a lot of things, and you are a very good example for us, and we want to collaborate with you guys not only to make pieces but to develop projects like drones, like unmanned surface vehicles (UGVs), a lot of things," he said.
The general director then detailed the active partnerships that already link Romarm with several major Turkish defense firms.
"Yes, we have a very good collaboration with Roketsan for the 122 mm rocket for the Grad, we have a very good collaboration with Aselsan and Havelsan with MKE we try to make something, but we haven't finished yet, and we have a collaboration with ARCA for some production lines," he noted.
Romania's recent purchase consists of a single Turkish-made Hisar-class offshore patrol vessel, the Contraamiral Roman (261). When asked if more Turkish-built ships might follow, Pircalabescu noted that procurement decisions ultimately rest with the country's Defense Ministry.
"Look, really, I don't know, I represent the Romanian defense industry, I don't know the plans of the acquisition of the Ministry of Defense, but we want to strengthen the operation with you guys, and I think maybe yes," he stated.
The CAm Roman officially entered service during a ceremony at Romania’s Constanta port, following its June 20 delivery in Istanbul. Built by the Istanbul Shipyard Command, the corvette was delivered under the main contractorship of Türkiye's state-owned ASFAT, fulfilling a government-to-government agreement signed in December 2025.
"For the first time in 35 years, the Romanian Navy has added a new corvette to its inventory. The purchase of this modern warship has made me very happy," Romanian Defense Minister Radu-Dinel Miruta said during the commissioning ceremony.
Turkish Deputy Defense Minister Musa Heybet also spoke at the event, emphasizing that cooperation with NATO ally Romania will continue for many years across spare parts supply, modernization, and maintenance.
"I believe that CAm Roman will be an important symbol of peace, security in the Black Sea and the strong friendship between Türkiye and Romania," Heybet said.
Pircalabescu openly voiced his frustration with Turkish defense vehicle manufacturer Otokar regarding its selection of a Romanian business partner.
"Otokar, we try to work with them but they don't want to work with us. I am a senior at the biggest Romanian company, Romarm, and they are going to make a project at another company, a private one in Romania. I'm really upset with them. I don't want to be involved in their business; the only solution from my perspective is to do business with Romarm, with the state-run company, and to develop together because we have a lot of infrastructure to put out their position," he said.
His remarks follow Otokar's announcement that it has completed its acquisition of Romania-based Automecanica SA, making it the first Turkish company to manufacture armored vehicles within the European Union (EU). The investment of roughly €85 million ($97.1 million) secures Otokar a 96.77% stake in the Romanian firm's capital, with production facilities in Medias now operating directly under Turkish oversight.
This acquisition stems from a milestone contract signed on Nov. 27, 2024, valued at approximately €1 billion (including VAT) for 1,059 4x4 tactical wheeled light armored vehicles—marking Türkiye's largest single armored vehicle export deal. Production of Cobra II vehicles tailored for the Romanian Army has already commenced at the 140,000-square-meter Medias plant.
Asked whether Romania's defense industry is working toward NATO's 5% defense spending goal, Pircalabescu said Bucharest should go further.
"More than that, we want, look, the Romanian government needs, in my perspective, to allocate more than 5% to the defense, but we want to generate in the Romanian GDP more than 5% because that's, that will be fair," he said.
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Romanian Defense Minister Miruta, who also serves as Romania's deputy prime minister, told Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) that Bucharest enjoys "excellent relations" with Ankara.
"There are projects already being carried out between Türkiye and Romania; we are very pleased with this. We have our Otokar. I think the truth is that there is more than one sea between Türkiye and Romania, meaning not only the Black Sea, both countries have common interests that go beyond the Black Sea," he said.
"Protecting the Black Sea is our common interest. Joint production of different munitions is our common interest. Ensuring the security of this part of the eastern flank is our common interest. Based on these common interests, it is extremely important to expand the cooperation, which is currently absolutely excellent but which also has empty spaces," Miruta added.
Turkish Defense Industries President Haluk Gorgun hosted Miruta and his delegation at Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) facilities during the summit, briefing them on Türkiye's national aviation projects and production infrastructure.
"The CAm Roman corvette, which we recently delivered to the Romanian Naval Forces, is a concrete indicator of the level that defense industry cooperation between Türkiye and Romania has reached as two strong NATO allies," Gorgun said, adding, "I believe that carrying this strong partnership even further will make important contributions to our joint capabilities and the alliance's common security."
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