Bulgaria Will Need BGN 24 M to Repair Two MiG-29s in 2015

Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 in flight.

Bulgaria may be forced to revise its 2015 budget towards the end of the year to provide funding for a potential repair of some of its ageing Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets, Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev has said.

According to Nenchev, Bulgaria will need about BGN 24 M (EUR 12 M) to repair two MiG29s this year to ensure that the Bulgarian Air Force will be able to maintain an adequate level of combat readiness until the end of 2016.

Nenchev discussed options for repairing several of Bulgarian Air Force MiG 29s during a recent visit to Poland, he told reporters on Monday.  

Nenchev announced last month that Bulgaria might retire its MiG-29s in September when the current contract for their technical maintenance will expire as he considered the offer of the Russian manufacturer of the fighters was unfavourable.

Nenchev also said that he had been invited to visit the United States to discuss Bulgaria's plans to replace its Soviet-made fighter jets with NATO-compatible aircraft, according to otbrana.com news outlet.

The visit will take place when Bulgaria is ready, Nenchev said without elaborating.

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