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SOFIA, Bulgaria (BulgarianMilitary.com) – Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov
has practically predetermined the choice of a new type of fighter for the
Bulgarian Air Force, after expressing his hope Lockheed Martin to better their
F-16 bid. This, he said in response to a journalists’ question, in Brussels,
adding that the F-16 offered by the U.S. and Lockheed Martin “are
considerably better than the others – the old “Eurofighter”, and “Gripen”. Bulgarian
Prime Minister explained that his assessment is based on his talks with the
pilots, learned BulgarianMilitary.com.
Borisov pointed out twice that he did not want to influence the
decision of the committee on which fighter to be purchased, but in his
conversations with pilots he found out that they highly evaluate F-16.
“There are committees considering these
offers, I do not interfere in their work, I strongly emphasize, except that I
want our aviation to have the best fighter,” the Prime Minister said in Brussels.
However, the final decision is political and as such, it is in the
hands of the Bulgarian Prime Minister.
“The situation in the region is
complicated,” Borisov alerted, pointing out that the
issue of purchasing a fighter is not just about the air policing: “We
need a warplane that can be engaged in warfare and can overpower it … We have
allocated the money, I want to buy what we need for our aviation in the short
term.” He
added that he had set short deadlines to “stop this procrastination, year, two, three …”
Bulgaria’s Prime Minister noted that in the past 10-15 years, only
military transport aircrafts were purchased for the Air Force – the Couger and
Panther helicopters, the Spartan aircraft, all of them without any form of
weapons.
Both
main competitors for the deal – Lockheed Martin and SAAB, earlier have
announced they are ready to better their bids.
Lockheed Martin previously admitted that the producer would not be
able to deliver the first batch within two years as Bulgaria requires, but now
the International Business Development Director for the F-16 Program at
Lockheed Martin James Robinson told Dnevnik that the company and the U.S.
government will reduce the cost and shorten the delivery time compared to its
current offer.
The main competitor of the U.S. company – SAAB
have already announced that their Gripen fighter aircraft is budget-friendly
and can be delivered on time. The first batch of 4 fighters is set to be
delivered in the period of two years after concluding the deal, which will
allow Bulgaria to acquire the full combat capabilities, necessary to be engaged
in NATO Air Policing mission, within 24 months after signing the contract, this
was announced by the company.
After
it became clear today, that the U.S. offer for F-16 fighters has been improved,
the Swedish government has come up with a new proposal – not for 8 but for 10
fighters that to sell us within the set budget, this was presented today to the
Bulgarian Defence Ministry.
The Swedish Government’s
official statement on SAAB’s offer, says: “The Swedish government has optimized SAAB’s bid and is now
offering 10 fighters instead of 8. This will significantly enhance the
operational capabilities of the Bulgarian Air Force. The optimized offer meets
all Bulgaria’s requirements, it is within the set budget and the first fighters
will be delivered within 24 months after signing the contract.”
Source: bulgarianmilitary.com
Sweden Offers to Bulgaria 10 Gripen Fighters for BGN 1.8 Billion
Source: bulgarianmilitary.com
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