Romania recently published a tender for short-range air defense systems (SHORAD) and very short-range air defense systems (VSHORAD), totaling $2.1 billion and attracting competition from French and Israeli companies. As early as 2019, Romania identified improving its defense capabilities against short-range air threats as a priority for the national air force, according to the Romanian Ministry of Defense**. In view of the current security situation, and in particular the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war that occurred last year, Romania has decided to speed up the procurement of these ** systems. 
It is reported that Romania has purchased American-made Patriot air defense systems for long-range air defense (theater air defense) and plans to connect all air defense and missile defense systems to the upcoming NATO network, the NATO Integrated Air Defense and Missile Defense System. 
After the tender announcement, a spokesman for the MBDA company said that they showed great interest in the Shorad-Vshorad project in Romania and promised to provide the Romanian armed forces with the most suitable solutions, in particular, to increase the effectiveness of the Mistral anti-aircraft missile systems they currently offer. This was also confirmed by the Romanian Ministry of Defense**, saying that MBDA's VL-MICA system is currently the most competitive candidate. 
In addition, Israel's Raphael company also confirmed the possibility of their possible participation in the bidding. In an email, Rafael said that they believe that their multi-layered air defense capabilities have proven their effectiveness in combat scenarios and that they will be able to provide the Romanian Ministry of Defense with precise solutions. 
All in all, this tender is not just a procurement of short-range air defense systems, but also an investment in *** and defense capabilities. Given Romania's close ties with NATO and the security challenges it faces, this move comes as no surprise.