On Thursday, May 14, 2026, the Romanian defense industry portal Monitorul Apărării și Securității (MAS) reported that the U.S. Department of State had approved the transfer of small-arms technology to Romanian defense industry companies in connection with plans to purchase a large number of individual weapons under the EU SAFE (Security Action for Europe) loan instrument.
Visit by a SIG Sauer delegation to the Romanian SSI Legion SRL plant in Cugir / Photos: SIG Sauer
After the joint Defense Committees of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of parliament, and the Senate, the upper house, approved the purchase of NATO-standard individual weapons from the U.S. company SIG Sauer on May 13 this year, sources cited by Monitorul Apărării și Securității (MAS) confirmed that the U.S. Department of State had approved a historic transfer of a full production license to Romania. The approval was reportedly granted at the beginning of this month.
As MILMAG’s editorial team has learned, the delivery will probably cover SIG Sauer 516 G3, or Generation 3, carbines. This is a weapon chambered for 5.56×45 mm NATO ammunition and using a short-stroke piston operating system for reloading. The carbines are equipped with a four-position gas regulator, allowing fire both with and without a suppressor. The third position cuts off the gas supply to the system, enabling a single shot to be fired without reloading. The fourth is used to disassemble the entire system for cleaning.
SIG 516 presented during the Romanian BSDA 2026 exhibition / Photo: Jakub Link-Lenczowski, MILMAG
The weapon is distinguished by an unusual dual charging system. In addition to the rear upper charging handle, characteristic of the AR-15 platform, the carbine is also equipped with a side charging handle. The manufacturer has also used a recoil spring housed in the stock guide. A long universal rail is located on the upper surface of the receiver and on the front handguard, allowing optical or optoelectronic sights to be mounted. However, during BSDA, MILMAG’s editorial team did not obtain information on which sight had been selected by the customer.
SIG Sauer is present in Romania through its subsidiary SSI Legion SRL, based in Cugir, Alba County, which is registered and authorized to operate as a firearms manufacturer in Romania. As MILMAG’s editorial team has learned, the weapons are to be produced in Romania, probably in Cugir.
Efforts to build European production capabilities anchored in Romania began more than two years ago, before the SAFE mechanism became an institutional priority at the European level, and reflect a long-term strategic decision rather than a response to market conditions.
The company continues to hold talks with local defense industry manufacturers to identify industrial partnerships, subcontracting, and joint production opportunities.
“Romania is not an export market for us. It is an industrial platform. What we are building here, step by step, together with local partners and industry leaders, is production capability and technology transfer with long-term regional significance,” said Paul J. Strebel, Senior Vice President, International at SIG Sauer.
SIG Sauer’s involvement in Romania will include the transfer of technical and production data packages, the delivery of machinery and production equipment, training programs for a skilled workforce, as well as long-term service and technical support capabilities. The proposed model is not that of an external supplier, but of an industrial partner contributing to the development of sovereign production capabilities, with a direct impact on the industrial ecosystem of Cugir and the region.
SIG Sauer continues to take the necessary steps in accordance with Romanian law and the applicable regulatory framework for the defense industry in order to finalize the contract-award procedure. Talks initiated with Romanian institutional and industrial partners are ongoing, and the company is aligning itself with the timetable set by the SAFE mechanism and applicable national law.
As reported by Monitorul Apărării și Securității, several weeks earlier the president of SIG Sauer visited the plant in Cugir with which the company will cooperate in producing small arms in Romania. In the NATO-standard individual weapon system procurement program, other companies interested in the Romanian contract included Belgium’s FN Herstal, Germany’s Heckler & Koch, Italy’s Beretta, Czechia’s CZ, and most likely Poland’s Fabryka Broni “Łucznik” Radom. The procurement program was transferred from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the Ministry of National Defense, as individual weapons will be purchased not only for soldiers, but also for police officers and other uniformed services.
The total value of the contract is 816.6 million EUR; originally, it was expected to amount to 439.86 million EUR for 240,000 individual weapons with ammunition.
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