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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
A statement by Artur Meçollari has brought the radar scandals back into focus. From a system built and integrated with the US, the projects have gone from contracts without transparency and with technical integration problems. The story includes contested tenders, maintenance interruptions since 2021 and a recent contract without open competition. The issue does not remain only technical, but raises questions about decision-making in national security and relations with strategic partners.
A statement by the former deputy commander of the Naval Forces, Artur Meçollari, has brought back to the center a story that begins over 15 years ago and ends with the last contract with the French company "Thales". According to him, the departure of Minister Pirro Vengu avoided a diplomatic clash with the US, after the exclusion of the American company Lockheed Martin from strategic radar projects.
The statement is related to a specific public moment: the question posed by a "Le Point" journalist to Edi Rama, seeking clarification on whether Albania had favored the French company at the expense of its American partner in the security sector.
This question is not an isolated episode. It is related to a series of decisions that have changed the architecture of air and maritime surveillance in Albania.
2010–2020: system built by Lockheed Martin
In 2010, the American company Lockheed Martin built the Integrated Maritime Surveillance System. This system formed the basis of maritime border control and was part of NATO standards.
In 2020, Albania signed another contract with the same company for the TPS-77 airborne radar system, worth about $22 million. The radar was deployed in Mjeda and became operational in November 2020. The contract included installation, maintenance, spare parts, and training of Albanian personnel.
This was a complete, integrated project linked to the strategic partnership with the US.
2011–2015: first interventions and breakdown of the maintenance system
In parallel with this cooperation, interventions in system maintenance began.
In 2011, the maintenance of naval radars was transferred from Lockheed Martin to the Albanian company “Idea Tel”, through a classified tender. The four-month contract cost 487 thousand dollars, while a year earlier Lockheed Martin had performed the same service for 330 thousand dollars.
Audits by the Ministry of Defense found financial violations and problems in contract implementation. Technical checks showed that some of the radars were not functioning properly.
In 2013, another tender was canceled and re-run with funds increased from 560 thousand to 850 thousand dollars. The procedure was conducted without open competition and Lockheed Martin was excluded. The contract was again awarded to operators selected by the ministry itself.
In 2015, the Supreme State Audit Office found that the procedures were illegal and that the system construction company should have been involved.
This period marks the first point in the gradual withdrawal of Americans from maintaining the system.
2021: maintenance outage and technical gap
According to published data, as of 2021, the systems built by Lockheed Martin, both the naval one and the Mjeda radar, are no longer maintained by the manufacturing company.
This creates a technical gap: systems remain without official support, while each new intervention is made without a guarantee of full integration and functionality.
At this stage, the problem is no longer just financial, but operational.
2025: the contract with "Thales" and the lack of transparency
On June 20, 2025, Defense Minister Pirro Vengu signed an agreement in Paris with the French company "Thales" for the supply of the Ground Master 400 Alpha radar.
The contract was announced by the company itself, while the Albanian procurement system does not result in an open procedure for this purchase.
The radar has a detection range of up to 515 km and is expected to be delivered within 14 months. However, the contract is not accompanied by a public document on the total cost and the terms of integration with existing systems.
The integration problem: three systems, without a clear architecture
Albania currently has:
-the naval system built by Lockheed Martin
-Mjeda's air radar, also from Lockheed Martin
-a new radar from "Thales"
According to Meçollari, the integration of these systems remains problematic.
This is related to technical and software standards, which are not automatically compatible between different manufacturers. In the absence of maintenance by the original manufacturer, the risk increases.
Diplomatic dimension
The exclusion of an American company from a system it built and its replacement with another operator is not just a technical matter.
In the NATO context, interoperability and reliability among partners are key elements. Changing course without transparency and a clear strategy raises questions about coordination with allies.
From a system built and maintained by Lockheed Martin, Albania has moved to a fragmented model, with unclear contracts and different operators.
The question is not just why Thales was chosen. The question is why cooperation with the company that built the system was terminated and why this was done without a transparent process and without a clear integration plan. / Pamphlet
Pirro Vengu mercenar i vorioleshve. Ky bastard shtetas grek si u ngjit kaq larte?!
Po rri o trap kosovar e mbylle gojen! Lekt shpenzojini per Kerre turke..
Pse ha tum kaq shume, o "kulture" vorioleshe sllavomongole!? Ne cilin vend te fqinjëve do te behej minister nje shtetas i huaj? O tru shtaze, mendje barklope, qelbesire e padronve tuaj qelbesira!
Sepse vendimarrësit janë frankofonë. Me lidhje Greko-Serbe - Ruse dhe Ndregaliste. Sepse kontrollin ajror duhet ta mbikqyrin Grekët dhe Italianët.
Kaq e do Shqipërinë Vengu bastardi, nuk hoqi dore nga te qenit shtetas grek-sllavomongol. Kjo qelbesire cfare do qe merr pagave e taksapaguesve shqiptar gjersa me bindje rri si grek=sllavomongol antishqiptar. Ik qelbesire nga djersa e shqiptarve. !
NUk di gje per orientimin grek te Vengut, por thales me te vertete eshte i kategorise se larte!
Futja kot. Kur i ke te gjitha vezet me nje kaçile thyhen kollaj. Ndaj duhet me pas shumellojshmeri.
Edge nje buf pulash e kupton trekendeshin Paris - Beograd - Tirane të shitjes e blerjes se armatimit. Tirana ka si dorezenes Beogradin për të blere armatim Francez.