site.btaBulgaria, Poland Sign Intergovernmental Agreement on Providing Logistical Support for MiG-29 Fighters

Bulgaria, Poland Sign Intergovernmental Agreement on Providing Logistical Support for MiG-29 Fighters

Warsaw, October 22 (BTA spec. corr. Assen Boyadjiev) - The Defence Ministers of Bulgaria and Poland, Nickolay Nenchev and Tomasz Siemoniak, signed here Thursday an Agreement between the Government of Poland and the Government of Bulgaria on providing logistical support for MiG-29 fighters.

Nenchev leads a Bulgarian delegation on a two-day official visit to Poland.

According to information provided by the Bulgarian Defence Ministry, the agreement envisages repair works in Poland of six RD-33, Series 2, engines for MiG 29 jet fighters used by the Bulgarian Air Forces, after which the resource of the engines until the next overhaul will be 350 hours or eight years (whichever occurs first). The post-overhaul warranty of the engines will be 24 months or 200 flight hours (whichever occurs first).

The repair works of the first four engines should be performed within a term of six months after they are delivered to the Polish facility. The overhaul of the other two engines will be carried out within a term of four months after completion of the repair works on the first four engines.

Under the agreement, an amount for the repair works of each of the six engines will be paid. The repair works of one engine will cost 1,023,000 euro. All costs related to the transportation of the engines subject of the agreement from and to Bulgaria will be borne by the Polish side. The payment of the repair works will be made after completion of the works which takes place with acceptance by the Bulgarian side of each of the repaired engines. The total value of the agreement is 6,138,000 euro. No VAT, customs duties and taxes are due by Bulgaria for the value of the agreement.

Under the agreement, Poland will provide Bulgaria two RD-33, Series 2, engines for MiG fighters, property of the former, for a term of 24 months or 200 flight hours (whichever occurs first). Two of the engines property of Bulgarian Air Forces that will undergo repair works in Poland will be provided to be used by the latter, also for 24 months or 200 flight hours.

On Wednesday Nenchev and the delegation led by him watched a trial run of an MiG 29 jet fighter engine in a test chamber in the WZL-4 (Wojskowe Zaklady Lotnicze-4) ordnance plant.

"Now I can see for myself the work and the capabilities of the plant," Nenchev said, adding that no accidents have occurred following repair works of 170 engines.

Regarding the agreement, Nenchev voiced a hope that it will be ratified by the Bulgarian Parliament, which is expected to take place after the October 25 local elections in Bulgaria. Approached what will happen if Parliament does not ratify the agreement, Nenchev said this would be an extremely irresponsible conduct.