Bulgaria To Decide On Fighter Aircraft Procurement Soon

The Bulgarian government will decide on the future of the project for buying new fighter planes for the air forces in June, said Defense Minister Angel Naydenov. 

During the opening of the defense exhibition “Hemus” in Plovdiv on Wednesday, Naydenov said that in the next 30 days the Government will decide whether it will buy new type of fighter jets, or will renovate the old MiG-29s, reports Sega daily. 

Naydenov added that the acquisition of a new fighter would cost over BGN 500 M (EUR 250 M), with more precise estimates depending on conditions of payment, the number of vehicles and other provisions. 

At the Hemus defense, antiterrorism and security exhibition, which takes place every two years, are present major producers of fighter jets, such as Lockheed Martin, Gripen and Eurofighter. 

According to Sega daily, Bulgaria's government is gathering offers from the major producers. Italy has already made an offer for second-hand Eurofighter jets.