for the purchase of 12 used F-16s. After the sale the Portuguese fleet would consist of 30 F-16s. To enable this, three ex-USAF F-16s (two F-16AMs and one F-16BM) were delivered in 2019. Romania On 24 March 2010, Romania's Supreme Defense Council approved the purchase of 24 refurbished F-16C/D Block 25 aircraft from the U.S. Air Force inventory. The first batch of aircraft was scheduled to arrive in 2013. Total cost for the aircraft was estimated at US$1.4 billion. Romania failed to pay the first installment on the aircraft, even though it was delayed from 3 June to 3 August. On 27 September 2012, Romania's Supreme Defense Council approved a plan to buy 12 used F-16s from Portugal in a deal worth 670 million euros. It was planned that the aircraft would be delivered over the next five years, and would enter operational service in 2016 after pilot training. Romania was to complete negotiations and finalization of documents with Portugal by the end of May, and with the U.S. by September. 120 million euros were used to pay for the aircraft, with the rest paying for logistic support. Legislation regarding the F-16 deal was passed by the country's Chamber of Deputies in June 2013 and on 12 July 2013, Romanian President Traian Băsescu formally approved the purchase. On 11 October 2013, Romania completed the purchase of 12 Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons with MLU package from Portugal. The package was worth $252.6 million/€186.2 million, and included nine former Portuguese Air Force aircraft and three former United States Air Force aircraft supplied to Portugal for the resale under the U.S. Excess Defense Articles program. Nine aircraft were single-seat and three were twin-seat. Portugal would receive 78 million euros for the sale, and the rest would be spent acquiring and upgrading the surplus USAF aircraft and associated equipment. The first F-16 was scheduled to be delivered in 2016 with initial operational capability achieved in 2017. The Romanian Armed Forces intended to buy 12 more Lockheed Martin F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcons by 2020 to equip a second squadron. After that, Romania planned to buy 24 F-16s of a newer generation by 2025, probably Block 50s. On 27 September 2016, the first six F-16 MLUs entered service with the Romanian Air force. The ceremony took place in Portugal at the 5th Airbase Monte Real. The first F-16 squadron was the 53rd Fighter Squadron at the