US Offer to Bulgaria of Second Batch of Eight F-16 Fighters Has Been Received, Defense Minister Says

Jerusalem, 19 July, 2022 (TPS) -- SOFIA, 19.07.2022 (BTA)
Bulgaria has received an offer from the US for the delivery of a second batch of eight F-16 Block 70 aircraft. Outgoing Defense Minister Dragomir Zakov told this to reporters after a meeting of the parliamentary Budget and Finance Committee on Tuesday. The offer is currently being reviewed, he said, adding that Bulgaria should decide on it by November 1.

There is an option for the period of reviewing to be extended but the US must consent to it, Zakov specified.

“The offer is comparable to the first one [of 2019 for the first batch of eight fighters] in terms of value (estimated cost of USD 1.673 billion), but includes a much larger package of capabilities, as Bulgaria already has a history with the US side. Therefore, Bulgaria enjoys much better contract terms,” Zakov explained. He also clarified that the price is comparable in USD.

“Bulgaria is now allowed installment payments. The schedule of payments is yet to be specified. Only in the first contract there was a requirement to pay in full. Now it can be paid in full, but it can also be paid in installments,” the Defence Minister also said.

Zakov said that Amendment No.1 to the 2019 Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) between Bulgaria and the US on the acquisition of F-16 Block 70 aircraft and associated support, does not change the standard general conditions for the delivery of the first batch of eight F-16 Block 70 aircraft and their maintenance. Amendment No.1, which the Council of Ministers approved on July 6 and proposed that Parliament ratify it, allows for optimization of the LOA on the part of the United States without increasing Bulgaria’s financial obligations.

The first F-16s will be delivered to Bulgaria in the first quarter of 2025, Zakov said, adding that all eight aircraft of the first batch should be delivered within a few months after that.

In 2027, or in 2028, at the latest, Bulgaria will have an entire squadron of sixteen operationally ready F-16 Block 70 aircraft, Zakov stressed.