President Rumen Radev has called on the government to “loosen the purse strings” and provide funding to ensure that the F-16 fighter jet can be maintained in operational readiness and continue to fly.
“We paid a high price for the F-16, waited a long time, and will face significant difficulty and expense in maintaining it—but that was Boyko Borissov’s choice back in 2019. And instead of now shifting the blame onto the pilots and the leadership of the Ministry of Defence—people who work every day and struggle to make up for political negligence and poor decisions—it would be better if the government opened the purse more and allocated the necessary funds. That way, this otherwise excellent aircraft in terms of combat capability can actually be kept operational and flying. But that will be a serious challenge,” said President Rumen Radev.