site.btaDefence Minister Karakachanov: "Bulgaria Has Turned Down F-16 Bid as Non-Conforming to Payment Terms"

Defence Minister Karakachanov: "Bulgaria Has Turned Down F-16 Bid as Non-Conforming to Payment Terms"

Sofia, June 23 (BTA) - "Bulgaria has turned down the F-16 bid because it does not conform to the terms for payment," Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov explained in Parliament's lobby on Friday. In his words, the bid required a first installment even in the first two years of the contract, while Bulgaria required that payments should be spaced out over five years, and this initially set period was to be lengthened through negotiations to at least eight or nine or even more than 10 years. The Defence Minister assumes that the fighters will arrive two or three years after the start of payments.

Bulgaria is planning to buy eight new fighter aircraft at a total cost of 1,500 million leva. Three bids have been submitted so far: for new Gripens (Griffin) from Sweden's Saab, for used Eurofighter Typhoons from Italy, or for used US-made F-16s from Portugal. An expert working group appointed by Ognyan Gerdjikov's caretaker cabinet recommended the Swedish offer, and President Rumen Radev (a former Air Force Commander) has backed this option, too, but Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has expressed reservations.

On Thursday, Karakachanov laid before the Cabinet a proposal for a decision which complies with the working group's decision. It was by that decision that the bids were ranked and the F-16 option was dropped. The two other bids remain under consideration.

"In addition to the new jet project and the patrol ship, I proposed the inclusion of a project for a combat vehicle for the Land Forces," the Deputy PM said.

"We spaced out those payments [on the jet fighters] so as to include the armoured vehicle project and to launch simultaneously all three projects on the funds allocated by the previous National Assembly," Karakachanov stressed.

The armoured vehicle project is to be spaced out over ten years. In this way, taxpayers' money will be spent in smaller amounts over a longer period.

The Defence Minister is convinced that the Bulgarian military industrial complex and local companies must be instrumental in the armed forces' rearmament. She explained that the idea is to contract them for maintenance and repair, once the jet fighters are purchased. Regarding the patrol ships and the armoured vehicle, the Bulgarian military industrial complex can take a far larger share in their building and, why not, in part of their armament, too, Karakachanov added.

He said that eight bids have been submitted for the ships, including two from German companies, a French, an Italian, a Bulgarian and a Dutch bid.

In February 2017, Rear Admiral Mitko Petev, Commander of the Bulgarian Navy, said in a BTA interview that four state-of-the-art patrol craft, equipped with all systems available to NATO: surface-to-air missiles and anti-submarine missiles, were to be acquired for the Navy at the cost of 820 million leva within five to ten years.