The corvette 'Rear Admiral August Roman' - 261 entered service with the Romanian Naval Forces

The corvette "Rear Admiral August Roman" - 261 entered service with the Romanian Naval Forces

The Minister of National Defense, Radu Miruță, and the Chief of the Defense Staff, General Gheorghiță Vlad, were part of the Romanian delegation, led by President Nicușor Dan, who participated, on Saturday, June 20, in the military ceremony held in the Istanbul Naval Shipyard, Turkey, on the occasion of the reception of the Romanian flag by the Corvette "Rear Admiral August Roman" - 261.

Once the flag was received by the ship's commander, the corvette entered the service of the Romanian Naval Forces.

The Corvette "Rear Admiral August Roman" - 261 is designed to perform a wide range of missions, from surveillance, reconnaissance, patrol, maritime interdiction and search and rescue at sea, to surface, anti-aircraft and anti-submarine warfare, including by operating a helicopter on board.

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In December 2025, the Government-to-Government contract was signed, worth 223 million euros, excluding VAT, and the transfer of ownership of the ship took place on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.

The ship has, in its current configuration, a 76-millimeter cannon, two 12.7-millimeter machine guns, fire control radar with integrated electro-optical sensor, electronic warfare systems, keel sonar and integrated communications system - equipment based on state-of-the-art technologies.

The total value for achieving operational capability is approximately 265 million euros, excluding VAT. In this regard, a new procurement procedure is planned for the second half of 2026, worth approximately 42 million euros, for additional capabilities and combat systems (VLS - Vertical Launching System anti-aircraft missile launch systems, CIWS - Close-In Weapon System, 35 mm caliber, missile-torpedo launch system and infrared search and track system). Also, through the SAFE (Security Action for Europe) program, the acquisition of the NSM (Naval Strike Missile) missile launch system is planned, which will be installed and integrated on board.

The HISAR-class corvette was purchased from the surplus of the Turkish Navy, which commissioned it in December 2024, immediately after the construction of the ship. The short delivery and integration period into the Romanian Naval Forces service represented a significant operational opportunity for the Romanian Army, directly contributing to the strengthening of the response capacity to emerging threats in the Black Sea region.

The ship became part of the 50th Corvette Division, a structure subordinate to the "Vice Admiral Vasile Urseanu" Fleet Command.

The corvette "Rear Admiral August Roman" - 261 has a crew of 85 soldiers on board and is commanded by Lieutenant Commander Sorin Huruială.

The Press Office