BUCHAREST (AFP) - Saab, maker of the Gripen fighter jet, criticized Romanian's decision to buy American second-hand F-16 jets.

• Saab lost Romania fighter jet deal

Several European aerospace companies boycotted a defence show that opened Tuesday in Bucharest in protest against Romania's decision to buy American F-16 jets.

About 200 companies from 17 countries were attending the three-day Black Sea Defence and Aerospace Exhibition.

Lockheed Martin, the US company which makes the F-16 aircraft, was represented by a large delegation, while the US military put two such jets on show.

While the US fighter jet was in the limelight three weeks after the Romanian supreme defence council decided to purchase 24 second-hand F-16s, "Saab/Gripen (Sweden) and Eurofighter have cancelled their participation" at the show, organisers said.

Saab and Eurofighter, built by a European consortium including EADS, BAE Systems and Alenia/Finmeccanica, were to exhibit several jets and take part in air shows.

In Bucharest to deliver two of the seven C-27 J Spartan carrier planes ordered by Romania in 2007, Giuseppe Giordo, co-chief operating officer of Alenia Aeronautica, said: "Eurofighter jets would have been the best solution for Romania."

"The selection of a fighter jet is a strategic decision. It should not be considered only in terms of cost-effectiveness, but also of investments and technology transfers," he told AFP.

"The Romanian parliament is to make the final decision and we are ready to submit to it all the necessary information, " he added.

Saab too, which had criticized the Romanian authorities' decision, "has a limited presence and no aircraft" at the Bucharest show, Jerry Lindbergh, export manager for central and eastern Europe, told AFP.

"All offers should be compared. We are expecting a transparent process," he said.

On Monday, President Traian Basescu said Romania had taken the US offer because it was "the only one (we) could afford".

But he added the army would have preferred to buy new Gripen jets.

The F-16, which will cost 1.3 billion dollars (1.8 billion euros), are to replace Romania's ageing, Soviet-made MiG-21 Lancer aircraft.