Bulgaria requests F-16 fighter jets from Netherlands

The Bulgarian Defence Ministry has sent a request to the Netherlands for leasing F-16 fighter jets.

The country's caretaker Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov made the statement in an interview with BTV channel on November 16, TASS reports.

"We are considering various options for acquiring aircraft, including from Sweden and France, a proposal from the Netherlands has not officially come to us, but the issue of this is being discussed. At the moment, the Netherlands has offered us an option to train pilots for the F-16s, but they have opportunities to supply aircraft, not officially yet. The Netherlands are expecting the deliveries of F-35s and then they will not need F-16 block 15s. It is possible that they will make an offer, at least I signed another letter of readiness to consider this issue. We are waiting for the result," said the head of the Ministry of Defence.

Answering the questions, Stoyanov said that the delegations of Sweden and France are currently in the country to study the possibility of using their aircraft which they are ready to lease. He also said that there were difficulties with the upgrading of the Graf Ignatiev air base, where it is planned to place the American-made planes because its cost increased several times, from $300,000 to about $4.5 million and as a result, a new tender procedure for its completion may have to be announced.