The multinational live exercise Ramstein Legacy 2024 concluded on June 14 with a live firing event from participating Surface Based Air and Missile Defence units and an international Distinguished Visitors’ Day. Ramstein Legacy is NATO’s capstone IAMD exercise. It enables Nations across the Alliance to test command and control, airborne early warning and conduct of air defence system weapon firing, https://ac.nato.int/ reads. Organised by Allied Air Command in Ramstein, Germany, and hosted in Romania and Bulgaria from June 2 on, the exercise trained and developed NATO’s Live Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) with a tactical focus, an operational impact and a strong strategic message. “In total 3,200 participants from 20 NATO nations trained at nine locations in Bulgaria and Romania employing 22 firing units and well over 30 flying assets. Activities were steered in 12 national command and control networks under the overall control of Control and Reporting Centres in Bulgaria and Romania and NATO and Turkish Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft,” said Major Tomas Kurpas, Slovak project officer for Ramstein Legacy 204. “Unified control and efficient integration of these systems enable us to successfully conduct our objective of safely executing live and simulated mission,” he added. A special addition to the exercise was the experimentation of counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS). A team of experts from NATO Communications and Information Agency introduces their concept of defending deployed SBAMD units against the threat of UAS based on lessons learned from how the Ukraine has defended against Russia’s brutal war. “Ramstein Legacy is NATO’s capstone IAMD exercise. It enables Nations across the Alliance to test command and control, airborne early warning and conduct of air defence system weapon firing,” said Air Marshal Johnny Stringer, Deputy Commander of NATO’s Allied Air Command. He noted the opportunity to observe a live firing demonstration of Turkish Stinger missiles and Romanian PATRIOT and HAWK missile systems commanded by the German Surface-to-Air Missile Operations Centre. The live activities we complemented by static display of elements of SBAMD system participating in the exercise –French MAMBA, Romanian and German PATRIOT, Romanian HAWK, Turkish Stinger, Hungarian NASAMS, Polish PILICA PIORUN. “During the exercise in Romania, participants operated a variety of missile systems and ground-based air defense equipment, command-control systems, as well as aircraft from the participating nations,” said Colonel Cristian Popovici, officer in charge of the Public Affairs Division at the Romanian Ministry of National Defence. “Romania’s national key objective was to complete the operationalization of the second PATRIOT system which demonstrated its capability during live firing at the Capu Midia range. This process was completed today for the second system, with systems three and four set to follow the same process, aiming for full combat readiness by mid-next year,” he added. Once certified, the PATRIOT batteries are integrated into Romania’s national integrated air defence system.
The fund Cultura Face Bine, a national funding mechanism for cultural projects backed by private-sector financing, will begin supporting local cultural organizations in 2026. The fund aims to support grassroots cultural initiatives with a proven impact in their communities and which need resources to continue, develop, or transform their activities. The funding mechanism has been […]
The European Commission (EC) announced on Thursday, December 11, that it is referring Romania to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for failing to meet obligations under Ambient Air Quality Directives. According to the Commission, Romania has not ensured that its national air quality monitoring network complies with legally required standards on […]
The Bucharest Court of Appeal (CAB) held an unprecedented press conference on Thursday, December 11, in response to allegations raised in a recent media investigation published by Recorder, with court president Liana Arsenie firmly rejecting the claims. However, at the start of the press event, a judge from within the institution publicly stated that the […]
Romania’s Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) issued its first response to the Recorder documentary alleging systemic manipulation within the justice system, calling the investigation an amplification of a “campaign to destabilize judicial authority.” The council said on Thursday, December 11, that it will evaluate what measures need to be taken following the report. In a […]
MedLife, Romania’s largest private medical services network, announced on Wednesday, December 10, that it reached a market capitalization of EUR 1 billion on the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB). The milestone secures its position as “the most valuable healthcare company” in the country. The achievement came nine years after MedLife’s listing on BVB in December 2016, […]
The Buzău Land UNESCO Global Geopark in Romania has become a “living laboratory” this week as a team of American researchers arrived to study microorganisms capable of surviving in extreme environments. The scientists, part of the interdisciplinary research organisation The Two Frontiers Project, are examining methane seeps, sulfur and petroleum springs, saline sources, and other […]
