Bulgaria buys more F-16 US fighter jets; Norway sell 32 used F-16s to Romania

Bulgaria's parliament Friday approved a deal to buy eight F-16 fighter jets from the United States in addition to another eight it ordered in 2019 but has not yet received.

The Balkan country, which has been a NATO member since 2004, has been looking for some years to replace its ageing and dwindling fleet of Soviet-built MiG-29 planes.

But since Moscow's forces invaded Ukraine in February, it has been unable to buy spare parts or engines to service those planes from Russia. It has instead been negotiating to buy two MiG-29 engines from Poland and send six more there for repairs.

The country paid $1.67 billion for the first eight F-16 jets from Lockheed Martin, hoping to receive them in 2023.

But their delivery has been delayed and Interim Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov has said they might now not arrive before 2025.

Parliament on Friday green-lit the new deal with 162 votes in favour, 49 against and 11 abstentions.

Under it, the country is by 2031 to pay an additional $1.32 billion for four single-seater and four two-seater F-16 Block 70 fighter jets plus weapons, due to be delivered by 2027.

In order to guard its airspace, Bulgaria is looking for ways to rent or buy used fighter jets from Sweden or France.

For now, aircraft and crew from Spain, the Netherlands and the United States have taken turns helping with air policing, with six Eurofighter jets and 130 crew expected to arrive on a new mission in Bulgaria in mid-November.

Parliament tasked the country's interim government on Thursday to study the possibility of sending any defence equipment it might spare to Ukraine -- a U-turn for the country, where a large part of the population remains pro-Russian.

Norway to sell 32 used F-16 fighters to Romania
Oslo (AFP) Nov 4, 2022 - Norway announced Friday that it will sell 32 used F-16 fighter jets to fellow NATO member Romania for 388 million euros ($385 million).

The deal, which comes as Romania needs to replace its obsolete Soviet MiG-21 fighters amid the Russian invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, will see the fighters delivered in 2023 and 2024 after being overhauled, the Norwegian defence ministry said.

The contract includes the sale of spare parts, maintenance and training of technicians.

The transaction "will be an important contribution in view of reinforcing a NATO ally's air force," said Norwegian Defence Minister Bjorn Arild Gram.

He added the contract would also benefit the Norwegian defence industry as it refurbished the aircraft.

Norway finished taking its 64 F-16 fighters, purchased in the 1980s, out of active service earlier this year as it deploys fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighters.

The initial F-16s that entered into service in the 1970s in the United States were fourth-generation fighters, but Lockheed Martin still makes modernised versions with improved avionics and weapons systems that are considered 4.5 generation aircraft.

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