site.btaDefence Minister Asks Mandate from Government to Hold Talks on Purchase of New Fighter Aircraft

Defence Minister Asks Mandate from Government to Hold Talks on Purchase of  New Fighter Aircraft

Sofia, June 23 (BTA) - Defence Minister Nikolai Nenchev will ask
 the government to mandate him to hold talks and purchase new
fighter aircraft for the Bulgarian Air Force and for protecting
the Bulgarian air space, Nenchev's Ministry said Tuesday.
 
"Following consultations with the political forces in Parliament
 and a broad discussion at the [parliamentary] defence
committee, I made a commitment to prepare the necessary
documents before the end of June so that we can have an idea
about the new fighter aircraft by the year's end," the Defence
Minister said as quoted by his Ministry.

He says that he will not allow "keeping the fighter aviation
grounded".

The Minister is adamant that Bulgaria has sufficient resources
to protect its air space until the middle of 2016.

Nenchev's statement comes shortly after a story appeared in
mediapool.bg saying that Bulgaria is considering asking fellow
NATO member states to protect its air space. "This situation has
 been brought about by the deplorable state of the Bulgarian
fighter aviation, the lack of resources for fast purchase of a
new type of fighter aircraft and the impossibility of finding an
 acceptable option for maintaining Bulgaria's existing fleet of
MiG29 by Russia," mediapool wrote quoting undisclosed sources
from the Defence Ministry.