NATO Romania’s armored river gunboats are operated by a unit called Division 88. Romania has been operating river gunboats on the Danube River since 1860, making Romania the oldest ‘modern’ navy to do so.
Photo via Naval Forces Romania, October 2021.
This Shield of Dobrogea video, posted in March 2021, shows gunboat ops during exercise Danube Protector:
Arizona Army National Guard photo by Staff Sergeant Adrian Borunda, 15JUL2017.
Romanian armored gunboat F-178 Smârdan in action on the Danube (Dunăre), during NATO’s Saber Guardian 2017.
NATO video, quad 23mm anti-aircraft guns blazing on the Smârdan during Saber Guardian 2017:
Mihail Kogălniceanu class F-47 gunboat, U.S. Army photo by Private First Class Nicholas Vidro, 16JUL2017.
Romanian river monitor F-47 Lascăr Catargiu, Saber Guardian 2017.
NATO video of river patrol boat, armored gunboats, and larger monitors, supporting Danube river crossing operations, big guns firing (wait for it):
Smârdan class F-176 Rohave, USA photo by Specialist Christopher Estrada, 22JUN2019.
Armored gunboat F-176 Rahova provides cover for Danube river crossing, Saber Guardian June 2019.
NATO video of Danube river crossing, armored gunboats and a monitor, Saber Guardian 2019:
Romania has three Mihail Kogălniceanu class river monitors, beginning operations in the 1990s:
F-45 Mihail Kogălniceanu, photo via Naval Forces Romania, February 2022.
Photo via Naval Forces Romania, October 2021.
Photo via Naval Forces Romania, October 2021.
F-47 Lascăr Catargiu.
F-47 on public display, photo via Naval Forces Romania, August 2021.
Photo via Naval Forces Romania, August 2020.
Photo via Naval Forces Romania, August 2020.
F-46 Ion C. Brătianu.
Mihail Kogălniceanu class and Smârdan class launching rockets. Photo via Naval Forces Romania, October 2021.
Five Smârdan class armored river gunboats, beginning operations in the late 1980s-early 1990s:
F-176 Rohave, photo via Naval Forces Romania, June 2021.
F-177 Opanez, photo via Naval Forces Romania, May 2021.
F-177 Opanez, photo via Naval Forces Romania, May 2021.
Rocket launchers are optional, photo via Naval Forces Romania, April 2021.
F-178 Smârdan, photo via Naval Forces Romania, June 2021.
Photo via Naval Forces Romania, September 2021.
Photo via Naval Forces Romania, July 2021.
F-179 Posada, photo via Naval Forces Romania, May 2021.
F-179 Posada, photo via Naval Forces Romania, May 2021.
F-179 equipped with two optional rocket launchers, photo via Naval Forces Romania, October 2021.
Photo via Naval Forces Romania, August 2020.
F-180 Rovine, photo via Naval Forces Romania, July 2021.
Photo via Naval Forces Romania, October 2021.
F-180 with one optional rocket launcher, photo via Naval Forces Romania, October 2021.
Photo via Naval Forces Romania, October 2020.
Division 88 operates about a dozen of these non-named VD-141 river patrol boats. The VD-141 class began operations in the 1980s:
Patrol boat F-147, February 2022, photo via Naval Forces Romania.
Shield of Dobrogea video posted in January 2020, Division 88’s smaller river patrol boats:
Guns of a VD-141 class, photo via Naval Forces Romania, June 2021.
Shield of Dobrogea video of Division 88 river gunboats in action, posted November 2019 (although a lot of the video is actually from 2017):
Official Romanian Navy promotional video about Division 88 river gunboat operations, posted April 2019:
River gunboat ops, posted by Shield of Dobrogea, May 2018:
More gunboat action, posted April 2018:
River gunboat report posted April 2017:
A long video about Romania’s river gunboats, from 2015:
Gunboat target practice, video posted April 2013:
The Jamestown Foundation has a article with more info about Romania’s Danube Flotilla.
Fellow NATO member Turkey sold to the Romanian Border Police 12 SNR-17 river patrol boats.
Vehicle I-D: 
ARMURĂ ROMÂNIA
U.S. NAVY KEEPS OLD U.S. ARMY BOAT-TRUCK AFLOAT
