Bulgaria To Buy Eight More F-16 Fighter Jets From US

 Bulgaria's parliament has ratified in two readings a bill on the acquisition of eight new F-16 fighter jets from the United States, the Bulgarian news Agency (BTA) reported on Friday.

According to the media, the bill also implies purchases of "ammunition, training means, maintenance means, spare parts, initial support and training for the Bulgarian Air Force." The parliament also ratified the international treaty on the "Multifunctional Information Distribution System - Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS JTRS) and related support and equipment" as part of the package for acquiring the US jets.

The bill was passed with 151 votes in favor, 42 against and eight abstentions, BTA said.

The total value of the package is estimated at about $1.3 billion. The funds will be paid over a ten-year period, as suggested by the US, according to BTA.

This is going to be the second batch of eight F-16 fighter jets for the Bulgarian Air Force, the media said. In July 2019, Bulgaria adopted the first bill on acquiring eight US aircraft. The payment was made that year. The first two jets were scheduled to be delivered in the middle of 2023; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the delivery was rescheduled for 2025.

In July, Bulgaria received another offer from the US for eight more fighter jets. November was the deadline for accepting it.