| Unit Name: | 81st Mechanized Brigade "General Grigore Bălan" |
| Native Name: | Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: Brigada 81 Mecanizată "General Grigore Bălan" |
| Type: | Mechanized infantry |
| Branch: | Romanian Land Forces |
| Dates: | 1 March 1995 – present |
| Country: | Romania |
| Command Structure: | 4th Infantry Division "Gemina" |
| Size: | 7 battalions + other supporting companies |
| Current Commander: | Brigadier general Mircea Gologan |
| Garrison: | Bistrița |
| Anniversaries: | 1 March |
The 81st Mechanised Brigade (Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: 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.[1]
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: