Why Romania wants to cancel the contract with Elbit Systems for the Watchkeeper X drones. The response of the Israeli company
Romania is analyzing the possibility of canceling a contract of over 400 million dollars with Elbit Systems for the purchase of Watchkeeper X tactical drones, due to significant delays in delivery, the Israeli press announces, which takes over the statements on this subject made by Radu Miruță.
Watchkeeper X drone PHOTO: Thales
The Minister of Defense, Radu Miruţă, stated that the delivery, originally scheduled for the summer of 2025, was not carried out, and the continuation of the delays could make the technology obsolete from an operational point of view.
“We are analyzing within the ministry whether or not we want to terminate this contract. We have this legal possibility. There are devices with technical characteristics that, if received a few years later, are no longer relevant. We ordered some drones with certain characteristics to arrive in 2025; if they arrive much later, we might say that we are no longer interested in receiving them”, said the minister, News writes.
He specified that it is a contract concluded in 2023, and the company made requests citing reasons of force majeure, considering “the military incidents that took place in the country where this company is established”.
According to the minister, three requests were registered. The first two totaled three to four months, the force majeure argument being accepted, as the legal conditions were met. The third postponement request, for 6 months, also for force majeure, was rejected by the Ministry of Defense.
“Until today, the penalties that this company has to pay to the Ministry of Defense are around 60 million euros and they are increasing every day”, claims Minister Radu Miruţă.
What Elbit Systems says
“Elbit Systems continues the drone development and production project for Romania according to plans, and it is at an advanced stage before the delivery of the systems to the customer. The drones are based on experience accumulated over the years and integrate advanced and unique capabilities, tested in difficult operational theaters. Despite the challenges generated by the exceptional security situation in Israel, recognized as a force majeure by the company's customers globally, the project had a high priority. The systems are ready for the final reception tests in Romania at the end of April, depending on the approvals of the regulatory authorities”, Elbitsystem communicated, according to .ynet.co.il.
In parallel, there are uncertainties related to the delivery of some essential components, including radar systems provided by Thales Group, notes ynet.co.il.
On June 21, 2023, Elbit Systems announced that it had received the first order worth approximately 180 million dollars for the delivery of the first three Watchkeeper X tactical unmanned aerial systems (UAS), out of a total of a maximum of seven, under a framework contract with the Ministry of National Defense of Romania, with a maximum value of approximately 410 million dollars. The order will be executed for a period of two years, the company stated at that time.
