site.btaBulgarian Defence Industry Encouraged to Share in Armed Forces Upgrading

118 MILITARY - CONFERENCE - MODERNIZATION - amplified

Bulgarian Defence Industry
Encouraged to Share
in Armed Forces Upgrading


Sofia, September 20 (BTA) - Deputy Defence Minister Anatolii Velichkov opened a national conference with international participants entitled "The Defence Industry as a Leader of Innovation in Bulgaria," the Defence Ministry reported on Thursday. The conference was organized by the Bulgarian Defence Industries Association under the joint patronage of the ministers of defence and economy.

Velichkov said the Defence Ministry's policy concerning the upgrading of the Armed Forces is aimed to promote transparency and competitiveness and to encourage the Bulgarian defence industry to play a leading role in the projects where possible.

He said: "We eliminated the possibility for monopolizing the logistical maintenance of the products. Also gone is the environment in which intermediation services between defence suppliers and the Ministry of Defence thrived. We are pursuing this policy firmly and consistently because we are convinced that intermediation services between the Ministry of Defence and major suppliers are not the best commercial practice. We are working to create conditions for the Bulgarian defence industry and Bulgarian manufacturers to be active participants and to share in the Armed Forces modernization projects approved by the National Assembly."

Velichkov explained in great detail the procedure for implementing a project for the acquisition of combat vehicles for future battalion-sized battlegroups within a mechanized infantry brigade, which has met with particular interest from the Bulgarian defence industry in view of its capacities. The Deputy Defence Minister said: "The main thing about this project is to acquire new defence capabilities for the Ground Forces in line with NATO standards."

One of the main criteria for evaluating the contract bids for this project is industrial cooperation, which, according to Velichkov, creates ample opportunity for Bulgarian industries to participate in the project. Another important requirement aimed to encourage the Bulgarian defence industry to contribute to the logistical maintenance of the future combat vehicles is that the Defence Ministry should have the right to upgrade and further develop the combat platform, Velichkov said.

The Defence Ministry also wants to see the implementation of other projects to develop the capabilities of the Bulgarian Armed Forces which could be of interest to the local defence industry. Examples are the planned upgrades of the BMP-21 armoured combat vehicles of the Ground Forces, the available multiple launch rocket systems and the avionics of the Su-25 jets of the Air Force.

Deputy Economy Minister Luchezar Borissov said Bulgaria exported 1.219 billion euro worth of defence products in 2017, which was 200 million euro more than in 2016, the Economy Ministry reported. In 2017, the Interministerial Commission for Export Control and Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction issued 640 permits/certificates for export and transfer of defence products.

The member companies of the Bulgarian Defence Industries Association employ over 30,000 people in 27 enterprises which recorded a total turnover of 854,539 million euro in 2017. "This shows that the Bulgarian defence industry is also a key sector in terms of employment," Borissov said. He called on the government and businesses to cooperate with the European Commission in promoting innovation in the sector and raising funding for research. LI/VE
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