USA presented former proposal to Bulgaria for eight F-16 Block fighter aircrafts

The Department of Military Cooperation at the US Embassy in Sofia on 17^th of June officially presented to the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence a proposal to conclude a contract containing a possible agreement for the acquisition by Bulgaria of eight F-16 Block 70 fighter aircrafts and related systems for long- operation and maintenance as well as complete training of pilots and support staff. This was announced by the US Embassy in Sofia.

The US Embassy uses the opportunity to express its satisfaction with the work of the Bulgarian delegation by military and financial experts, which ensured that the proposal for the conclusion of a contract is in line with the requirements of the Bulgarian Air Force, says the report.

The United States awaits the finalization of this agreement with the Bulgarian government in line with Bulgarian procedural requirements, the embassy adds.

On May 30, the State Department of the United States approved the project documents, and they were submitted to Congress, which has the final word on selling US arms to other countries under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme.

After that, the United States had 15 days to submit the draft agreement to Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Parliament approved a maximum budget for the purchase of new fighter aircrafts of BGN 1.8 billion including VAT.

The embassy's statement does not specify the value of the contract.