Bulgarian Defence Minister Todor Tagarev plans to visit the US to meet with key defence officials, Euractiv reports.
The defence minister announced on Tuesday the upcoming five-day trip, during which he wants to review the progress of the numerous deals Bulgaria has signed with US companies to modernise its army, and also on the agenda of the talks will be a discussion of the upcoming deal on new 3D radars.
Todor Tagarev will meet with representatives of key institutions – the US Department of Defence, the State Department, the National Security Council, Congress and the Defence and Security Cooperation Agency.
Tagarev will also visit Lockheed Martin plants in South Carolina. He will be briefed on the production process of the F-16 Block 70 aircraft that Bulgaria has purchased for its air force, the Bulgarian Defence Ministry said.
The minister will take part in a discussion on Black Sea security, the future of the Western Balkans and NATO’s eastern flank at the National Defence University in Washington.
Bulgaria has multiplied its military investments over the past three years, the basis of which is still a large number of Soviet weapons left over from the Cold War.
Bulgaria plans to spend $10 billion on military investments by 2032. This spending will go on three major projects. The largest is a contract with Lockheed Martin to supply 16 F-16 fighter jets worth almost $2.4 billion, including armaments.
In early December, Bulgaria’s parliament approved a $1.3 billion deal to buy about 200 Stryker infantry fighting vehicles from General Dynamics. The latest major military deal is to equip the army with advanced 3D radars, and that contract is expected to be signed in the very near future.
