Bulgarian Army Starts Replacing Air Defense Systems

Jerusalem, 9 October, 2024 (TPS) -- Sofia (BTA)
The process of replacing the air defense systems of the Bulgarian Army has started, the press center of the Ministry of Defense said Tuesday.

On October 7, an additional agreement to the contract of the Ministry of Defense of the Federal Republic of Germany with the manufacturer of IRIS-T SLM systems, Diehl Defense, was signed regarding the supply of an air defense complex for the Bulgarian Air Force.

The ministry explained that the document was drawn up in continuation of the Program Agreement between the Ministry of Defense of Germany and the Ministry of Defense of Bulgaria on the joint purchase of the systems under the Memorandum of Understanding on the joint purchase of ground-based air defense systems within the framework of the European Sky Shield initiative.

The Program Agreement was signed by the Ministers of Defense of Bulgaria and Germany on September 6 in implementation of the Investment Expenditure Project for the acquisition of IRIS-T air defense missile systems adopted by the National Assembly. This marks the beginning of the replacement of the Bulgarian Army’s air defense systems.

The draft investment expenditure for the acquisition of IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile complexes was adopted by the National Assembly on August 8.