Bulgarian Parliament Passes Bill To Buy 8 More F-16 Fighters From US - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th November, 2022) The Bulgarian parliament on Friday passed a bill on investment expenditures to purchase more F-16 fighter jets from the United States to make a squadron of 16, state media reported.

Bulgaria bought eight F-16 Block 70 jets from the US in 2019 and received an offer to buy another eight in July 2022. The deadline for responding to the offer was set to expire in November. The Bulgarian government approved the purchase on October 26 and authorized the Bulgarian defense minister to sign the new contract, pending the parliament's approval.

The bill was passed in a 162-49 vote, with 11 lawmakers abstaining, according to the Bulgarian News Agency.

In particular, the project was supported by the coalition of the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) and the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Democratic Bulgaria, Bulgarian Rise and some members of We Continue the Change.

Meanwhile, the Bulgarian Socialist Party and Revival reportedly opposed the spending bill.

The document provides for the equipping and arming of a full squadron of 16 F-16 fighter jets purchased from Washington, maintenance work, supplies of aviation equipment, spare parts and ground systems, as well as training of Bulgarian pilots.

The 2019 contract for eight jets cost Bulgaria $1.26 billion, which it paid upfront. Under the deal, Bulgaria was initially expected to receive the first fighter jets by mid-2023, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the deadlines were pushed to 2025.

The second batch of eight F-16 fighters is expected to arrive to the country only in 2027, Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov was cited as saying by the news agency.