MEUDON, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 24, 2026--
In a context of growing collaboration between European nations to bolster collective security, the Romanian General Directorate for Armaments has just signed a landmark agreement with France’s Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) to acquire twelve Thales Ground Master 200 Multi-Mission All-in-one (GM200 MM/A) radars. This government-to-government agreement, funded under the European Union’s SAFE programme, underlines the high level of partnership between France and Romania. The first delivery is expected in 2027.
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The GM200 MM/A is a combat-proven medium-range 4D AESA radar, already deployed in active conflict zones, designed to detect and track any target, from low-flying drones to high-altitude aircraft and missiles, up to 350 kilometres away. It provides unmatched precision, using advanced software-defined technology in response to evolving threats. Its ability to perform air and surface surveillance, weapon coordination and RAM (Rocket/Artillery/Mortar) sense and warn missions simultaneously makes it a cornerstone of modern air surveillance, and one that Romania will now integrate into its national defence framework.
What sets it apart is its all-in-one design: a single 20ft shelter housing the radar, mast and power generator, making it fully vehicle-mobile and deployable in less than 15 minutes and ensuring swift response to emerging threats.
This agreement is also a testament to the ties between Romania and France, two nations committed to strengthening NATO’s eastern flank. For over two decades, Thales has been a trusted partner in Romania, supporting the country’s defence modernisation and employing more than 850 people there. Romania is also home to one of the Group’s global engineering competence centres. For Thales, this agreement is another milestone in a long-standing relationship with Romania, combining local expertise with global innovation. By strengthening and growing the country’s engineering talent and industrial partnerships, Thales will fully contribute to building a future in which European nations will trust their collective security capabilities.
“On behalf of Thales, I would like to sincerely thank the Romanian and French Ministries of Defence for their trust. Our Group fully supports Romania’s ambition to develop long-term industrial capacity and expertise in the radar domain. In the spirit of the SAFE initiative, we will create a Radar Competence Centre to accompany this agreement. We stand ready to expand partnerships with Romanian industry, to strengthen localisation, sustain operational readiness, and contribute to future NATO and European initiatives involving Romania."
Pascale Sourisse, Senior Executive Vice-President, International Development, Thales.
“These orders are carried out as part of acquisitions managed by France through the FASt (French Acquisition for Strategic partners) mechanism, set up by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) for acquisitions on behalf of and for the account of France's partner countries. Franco-Romanian cooperation, already very dynamic in its operational dimension, is also strengthened at the capability level by Bucharest's choice to equip its armed forces with French industrial solutions.”
Patrick Pailloux, Director General for Armaments.
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The Romanian General Directorate for Armaments and the French Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA – the French defence procurement agency) have signed an agreement to supply twelve Thales GM200 Multi-Mission All-in-one (GM200MM/A) radars to protect the Romanian airspace.
Germany has hired Jürgen Klopp to coach its national team, giving the ex-Liverpool manager a daunting task to turn around the fortunes of a squad which failed yet again at the World Cup.
Klopp signed a contract to coach Germany through to the 2030 World Cup. Speaking shortly after the announcement Friday, he told a news conference in Frankfurt it was “a big honor” to take the job and signaled it could be his final role as coach.
“Jürgen Klopp has no career after the national team,” he said. “Ideally, this will be the highlight of my career, my life, my working life. I will put everything into it that I possibly can.”
He replaces Julian Nagelsmann, who resigned amid heavy criticism after Germany’s loss to Paraguay meant it failed to reach the last 16 of a men’s World Cup for the third time in a row.
It is Klopp’s first coaching job since he left Liverpool in 2024 citing fatigue. He said he was “recharged” in comments while in talks over the Germany job.
Klopp signaled he plans to make some surprising squad selections and said his mission isn't just to win games, but to bring back a buzz around the team.
Klopp himself admitted that “it's been a while” since he watched national team games outside of major tournaments.
“I want to create something with the national team that means that people go home after the game and think ‘That was really cool.’ That's what I'd like to see happen,” he said.
Klopp said Friday he would be prepared to leave without any severance pay if it doesn’t work out, and threatened to resign if the media doesn’t “leave my family in peace.”
The man known for thrilling “heavy metal football” at Liverpool, Klopp was Germany’s preferred candidate as soon as Nagelsmann quit.
Over weeks of talks, the 59-year-old German — 20 years older than Nagelsmann — stayed in the United States as a World Cup pundit for a German-language broadcaster.
The federation also held talks with the Red Bull group, where Klopp spent the last year and a half as “head of global soccer” advising its worldwide group of soccer clubs.
German federation president Bernd Neuendorf said there wouldn’t be a typical release fee paid to Red Bull for Klopp. Instead, the federation pays one million euros ($1.14 million) to a Red Bull-linked charity and has agreed to hold three national team games in the eastern city of Leipzig, where Red Bull backs the city’s Bundesliga club team.
Klopp faces a tough introduction to his first national team job with four Nations League games in 11 days against the Netherlands, Greece and Serbia in late September and early October. The first major milestone will be the 2028 European Championship.
Germany hasn't won a knockout game at a World Cup since beating Argentina in the 2014 final. Now a player from that team will be working alongside Klopp.
Former defender Per Mertesacker joins Klopp as the federation's new managing director for sport, with a role overseeing the German men's national teams and an emphasis on bringing players through youth national teams to star for the senior team. He will start the role in January and joins after eight years running Arsenal's academy.
Klopp is reunited with two of his assistants from his Liverpool days, Peter Krawietz and Pep Lijnders, weeks after Lijnders left a role as Pep Guardiola's assistant at Man City. Ex-Germany player Sven Bender also takes an assistant role.
In an unusual arrangement, Klopp's longtime agent Marc Kosicke joins the coaching team in a role focusing on strategy and administration, but won't be a federation employee.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Newly appointed head coach of the German national soccer team Juergen Klopp attends a news conference at the headquarters of the German Football Association DFB in Frankfurt, Germany, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Newly appointed head coach of the German national soccer team Juergen Klopp, center, poses for a photo with DFB President Bernd Neuendorf during a press conference at the headquarters of the German Football Association DFB in Frankfurt, Germany, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Newly appointed head coach of the German national soccer team Juergen Klopp attends a news conference at the headquarters of the German Football Association DFB in Frankfurt, Germany, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Newly appointed head coach of the German national soccer team Juergen Klopp attends a news conference at the headquarters of the German Football Association DFB in Frankfurt, Germany, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Newly appointed head coach of the German national soccer team Juergen Klopp attends a news conference at the headquarters of the German Football Association DFB in Frankfurt, Germany, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
