Outgoing defence minister: Two types of compensation agreed over F-16 aircraft delivery delay

Bulgaria has negotiated two types of compensations for the delay in the delivery of the F-16 fighter jets, Defence Minister Dragomir Zakov said during a hearing before the parliamentary committee on July 26.

According to him, the compensations are divided into two types - 25 million dollars will be allocated to Bulgaria as additional aid for buying weapons. 9.5 million dollars will be given by the Americans to train the Bulgarian pilots.

"We have an additional arrangement with the US, in case the delivery of the first batch of aircraft is delayed beyond the first quarter of 2025, to delay our instalment for the purchase of the aircrafts," the minister explained. According to him, "no such compromise" has been reached by the US in such contracts so far.

Bulgaria has to decide by November 1 whether to accept the proposed total of $34 million and thus confirm the second order of F-16 fighter jets. They are entirely related to the second delivery contract.

"In case we do not accept the conditions reached, we can say that we are cancelling the F-16 project for Bulgaria," Zakov added. He added that the ministry would submit an investment proposal for the second major delivery contract to the Council of Ministers on Thursday.

An additional agreement has also been reached for Bulgaria to acquire more aircraft from the United States if the MIG-29s are cancelled due to the expiry of the lifespan of their engines, if necessary.

If Bulgaria rejects these conditions, the entire delivery of F-16s to the country is at risk, Zakov said.