December 9 (SeeNews) - NATO member Bulgaria said on Friday it has invited four countries to submit offers for the supply of multi-purpose combat aircraft for its Air Force.
The invitation was sent to Italy, Portugal, the United States and Sweden, the defence ministry said in a statement.
The ministry did not elaborate on the number of aircraft it wants to acquire.
The invitation to the potential suppliers was signed by the ministers of defence and economy. It is classified and won't be made public, according to the statement.
In March, the government approved a 2.4 billion levs ($1.3 billion/1.22 billion euro) plan to enhance Bulgaria's defence capabilities by extending the operational lifespan of at least 10 Russian-made MiG-29s fighter jets, acquiring new combat aircraft and purchasing two new multi-purpose patrol ships.
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)