81st Mechanized Brigade (Romania)
| 81st Mechanized Brigade "General Grigore Bălan" | |
|---|---|
| Romanian: Brigada 81 Mecanizată "General Grigore Bălan" | |
 Insignia of the 81st Mechanized Brigade "General Grigore Bălan" | |
| Active | 1 March 1995 – present |
| Country | Romania |
| Branch | Romanian Land Forces |
| Type | Mechanized infantry |
| Size | 8 battalions + other supporting companies |
| Part of | 4th Infantry Division "Gemina" |
| Garrison/HQ | Bistrița |
| Anniversaries | 1 March |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Ciprian Balica[1] |
The 81st Mechanised Brigade (Romanian: Brigada 81 Mecanizată "General Grigore Bălan") is a mechanised brigade of the Romanian Land Forces, established on 1 March 1995. The unit's headquarters are in Bistrița, and it is subordinated to the 4th Infantry Division "Gemina", with headquarters in Cluj-Napoca. It is named after Grigore Bălan, a brigadier general in World War II, who was killed in action during the liberation of Transylvania in 1944.
The unit was founded in Dej in September 1968, as a consequence of the decision of the Romanian leadership following the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. The 81st Mechanized Division became operational in September 1969. Between 1995 and 2000, the headquarters of the 81st Mechanised Brigade were located in Dej, and since December 2000 in Bistrița. The brigade became completely operational in April 2002 and as of 2024 is NATO certified.[2]
Organization
Organization in 1989
Initially equipped with a limited number of T-34-85 tanks and transport trucks, the division would later receive T-55 tanks and wheeled armoured personnel carriers. In 1989 the unit had the following structure:
- 81st Mechanised Division "Someș" -Dej :
- 221st Mech. Rgt. -Bistrita : with T-55/A tanks, TAB-71/71M apc-s, TABC-79 recon vehicles, SU-76 sp guns, ZiS-3 76mm field guns, Md.1982 120mm mortars, ?? TAB-71AR with 82mm mortars, AG-9 rr-s, MR-4 quad 14,5mm aa hmg-s, DAC-443T and −665T trucks, TER-580 evacuation tank, TERA-71L recovery apc-s,
- 223rd Mech. Rgt. -Dej -same
- 227th Mech. Rgt. -Cluj -with TR-85M tanks, MLI-84 ifv-s, TAB-71/-71M apc-s, TABC-79 recon vehicles, SU-76 sp guns, ZiS-3 76mm field guns, Md.1982 120mm mortars, ?? TAB-71AR with 82mm mortars, AG-9 rr-s, MR-4 quad 14,5mm aa hmg-s, DAC-443T and −665T trucks, TER-800 evacuation tank, TERA-71L recovery apc-s,
- 230th Tank Rgt. -Baia Mare : with T-55/A/AM2 tanks, BTR-60PB and PU apc-s, BRDM-2 recon vehicles, MR-4 quad 14,5mm aa hmg-s, SR-114/-132, DAC-443T and −665T trucks, T-55T evacuation tanks, MTP-2/BTR-60 recovery apc-s,
- 315th Artillery Regiment -Șimleu Silvaniei : with M-30 122mm how., Md.1981 152mm how., APR-40 122mm mrls, SR-114 and DAC-444 trucks, TMA-83 arty tractors, TAB-77A-PCOMA command vehicles,
- 422nd Recon Battalion -Satu Mare : with TABC-79 recon vehicles and DAC-444T trucks,
- 424th Communication Battalion -Dej :
- 55th Antiaircraft Battalion -Dej :
Organization in 2025
- 81st Mechanized Brigade "General Grigore Bălan", in Bistrița (aligned with the German Army's Rapid Forces Division)
- Joint Peacekeeping Battalion
- 811th Infantry Battalion "Dej", in Dej, with Piranha V wheeled infantry fighting vehicles[4]
- 812th Infantry Battalion "Bistrița", in Bistrița, with Piranha V wheeled infantry fighting vehicles[5]
- 813th Infantry Battalion "Maramureș", in Baia Mare, with Piranha V wheeled infantry fighting vehicles[6][7][8]
- 815th Support Battalion "Rodna", in Bistrița, with PPE PGSR-3i "Beagle"[9][10]
- 817th Artillery Battalion "Petru Rareș", in Prundu Bârgăului
- 3rd Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion "Potaissa", in Turda, with Flakpanzer Gepard and KP-SAM Chiron[11][12]
- 405th Logistic Support Battalion "Năsăud", in Bistrița
International Missions
- Between 1996 and 1998 the 812th Infantry Battalion participated to peacekeeping missions in Angola;
- The 191st, 811th and 812th Battalions participated since 2001 to peacekeeping missions in the Balkans (Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina);
- Since 2003, the 811th and 812th Battalions participated to the Operation Enduring Freedom and ISAF in Afghanistan, as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq.
Decorations
The 81st Mechanized Brigade has received the following decorations:[13]
National Order of Faithful Service, Wartime (Knight – 2019)
National Order of Merit, Wartime (Knight – 2014)
References
- ^ Răsunetul (18 July 2025). "Col. Ciprian Balica, noul comandant al Brigăzii 81 Mecanizată "General Grigore Bălan": Din inima Ardealului, vom arăta că tradiția poate merge mână în mână cu modernitatea!". rasunetul.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ^ MApN (5 February 2024). "Brigada 81 Mecanizată "General Grigore Bălan" la ceas aniversar". armataromaniei.ro. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ Trustul de Presă al MApN (12 June 2020). "Mai aproape de Kandahar". presamil.ro. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ Vecerdea Titus (16 January 2026). "Brigada 81 Mecanizată "General Grigore Bălan"". Facebook (in Romanian). Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ^ "Mii de clujeni au ieșit în stradă în această dimineață ca să asiste la tradiționala paradă militară de Ziua Națională". actualdecluj.ro (in Romanian). 1 December 2022.
- ^ "Concursul aplicativ-militar de iarnă - etapa pe Brigada 81 Mecanizată "General Grigore Bălan"". forter.ro. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Batalionul 811 Infanterie "Dej"" (PDF). Revista Infanteriei. No. (31) 1-2/2023. Făgăraș: Centrul de Instruire Manevră. 2023. p. 16.
- ^ Timiș Marius (13 January 2026). "𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐢̂𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐚̆ 𝐜𝐮 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐢̂𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥 𝐝𝐞 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭̦𝐢𝐢 𝐝𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐚̆!". Facebook (in Romanian). Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ^ Agerpres (1 December 2024). "VIDEO 1 Decembrie/ A început Parada Militară Naţională; circa 2.500 de militari vor trece pe sub Arcul de Triumf". agerpres.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 19 February 2025.
- ^ JACOTĂ, Gabriela (24 October 2025). "Tabără de instrucție, de specialitate CBRN, în poligonul Valea Poienii". bistritanews.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 17 December 2025.
- ^ Cozmei, Victor (4 March 2021). "FOTO Militarii români, trageri reale în Polonia: "Geparzii Transilvani" au participat la operațiunea Sobiesky". hotnews.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ DOHOTAR, Maria (29 September 2025). "𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐞 𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐞 ș𝐢 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐥 𝟑 𝐀𝐩ă𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧ă ,,𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐚"". Facebook (in Romanian). Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ^ "Decorații acordate unor drapele". presidency.ro (in Romanian).
External links
- (in English) Official Site of the Romanian Land Forces
- (in Romanian) Official Site of the 4th Infantry Division
- (in Romanian) The 81st Mechanized Brigade