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Prime Minister Boyko Borissov spoke with Lockheed Martin on Tuesday.
The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense has sent letters to the United States: requests for information, what will be the conditions for the purchase of 8 more F-16 fighters and new three-coordinate radars.
This was announced by the government press service after a meeting between Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and representatives of the aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin and US Ambassador Hero Mustafa.
In 2019, Bulgaria paid BGN 2.1 billion for eight new fighters. The second 8 aircraft will no longer be purchased after a competition, but with
direct negotiations between
governments
from Bulgaria and the United States
The Bulgarian Defense Ministry hopes to get a better price.
In reality, sending a request letter is the beginning of the negotiations for the purchase of the second eight fighters. Initially, the government’s idea was that the second group of American planes would be commissioned around 2025, after the first had already arrived in Bulgaria and were absorbed into our air force.
Bulgaria will invest another BGN 300 million in repairing the Graf Ignatievo air base so that new American fighters can build on it.
With a direct request to the United States, new three-coordinate radars will be purchased to ensure the country’s air defense, it became clear after the Borissov meeting. A request has also been sent to the United States government for radars. A tender for the supply of radars was expected to be announced.
Preliminary information letters were also sent to producers in Israel. The plans are for this agreement to reach BGN 400 million.
The Bulgarian government and Lockheed Martin are also beginning to work on negotiating specific projects under the industrial cooperation program between Bulgaria and the United States.
“Apart from the technological and economic aspect, the successful implementation of the projects of the program is politically charged,” Prime Minister Borissov said at the meeting.
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