site.btaNearly BGN 140 Mln Spent on Military Infrastructure in 2024 - Defence Minister

A total of BGN 139,962,000 were committed to improvement of Bulgaria's military installations' infrastructure in 2024, caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said here on Friday, addressing Parliament during Question Time.

Of these, BGN 108,299,000 went for construction, maintenance and overhaul of building stock and defence installations, including infrastructure for the hosting and operation of F-16 Block 70 jet fighters at the Graf Ignatievo Air Force Base (South Central Bulgaria), and BGN 31,633,000 were invested in building physical-infrastructure networks and facilities, water-supply, sewerage and power-supply networks and systems and other infrastructure projects, Zapryanov specified.
 
In 2024 the Defence Ministry issued 40 building permits and accepted and commissioned 30 construction works. Building and installation works are over 90% complete on eight sites. 

Performance of the contracts for the provision of the requisite infrastructure will continue in 2025. Priority efforts will focus on infrastructure support of the key Armed Forces modernization projects: the F-16 Block 70 aircraft, the multi-role patrol craft, and essential combat materiel for the Land Forces battalion battlegroups, the Defence Minister said.

There are plans to build infrastructure for the accommodation and logistics of the NATO Multinational Battlegroup in Bulgarian territory at Kabile Village near Yambol (Southeastern Bulgaria). It is also planned to construct new infrastructure for existing military bases in the same area that are not part of the battlegroup, Zapryanov added.