site.btaDefence Ministry Receives Offers for F-18, F-16, Gripen and Eurofighter Jets

October 1 (BTA) - The Bulgarian Defence Ministry has
received offers for F-18, F-16, Gripen and Eurofighter aircraft
in a tender to acquire new fighter jets. This emerged Monday
when the bids were opened in the order in which they were
placed. They were submitted by the US, Italy and Sweden.

The first two offers were by the US for the acquisition of a new
 F-18 and a new F-16 jets, the third offer was for a new Gripen
jet and the fourth offer was for second-hand Eurofighter jets
from Italy.

The offers received on Monday were announced by Air Force
Commander Major-General Tsanko Stoykov who chairs an interagency
 working group established on the orders of Prime Minister Boyko
 Borissov.

As of Tuesday a commission, led by Gen. Tsanko Stoykov, will
take two weeks to evaluate the offers. Deputy Minister Zapryanov
 told the representatives of the three countries that during
that time the commission may submit inquiries for more
information in connection with the documentation. It will issue
a protocol with the evaluation scores.

Next, a political-military expert commission will be appointed
to review the scores and the suggestions of the first commission
 and to negotiate the final parameters of the offers. It will
comprise deputy prime ministers from different ministries under
the leadership of the Defence Ministry.

Afterwards based on the protocols from the work of the two
commissions, the Defence Minister will make a political decision
 to advise the government with which country to begin
negotiations on the preparations of an agreement.

Deputy Defence Minister Zapryanov told journalists that Israel
and France did not submit offers for second-hand F-16 and for a
new or second-hand Rafale respectively. He said that Bulgaria
had invited both Italy and Germany to participate but un the
course of the procedure it emerged that the consortium which
manufactures the Eurofighter jets had nominated Italy to put an
offer.

Zapryanov said that the Ministry was content with the number of
the offers it had received and said that there are more offers
for new jet fighters.

Asked whether the price of the new jets may exceed the amount
voted by the Bulgarian parliament, Zapryanov said that first the
 offers should be reviewed as the price and the other parameters
 are unknown.

Zapryanov did not commit to a deadline for the conclusion of an
agreement.

He said that it is possible to improve the parameters in
government-to-government negotiations.

Asked what the Ministry will do if several offers meet the
technical requirements, Zapryanov said that all offers will be
evaluated and then a political decision will be made.

He also said that the protocols will be classified but the
decision will be made public. RY/PP