Bulgaria spent 140M leva in 2024 on improving infrastructure at military bases
Close to 140 million leva (about 72 million euro) was spent in 2024 on improving the infrastructure at military bases in Bulgaria, the largest sum on readying the Graf Ignatievo air base for the F-16 fighter jets that the country is scheduled to begin receiving this year, caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov told Parliament on January 10.
For the reception and operation at Graf Ignatievo of the F-16 Block 70 fighter aircraft, the sum was 108 299 million leva, Zapryanov said during Question Time.
For construction of networks and facilities of the technical infrastructure, water supply, sewage, energy supply networks and installations and other infrastructure facilities, the sum was about 32 million leva.
Zapryanov said that in 2025, priority efforts will be directed towards the infrastructural provision of the Bulgarian military’s main modernisation projects – the F-16s and the multifunctional modular patrol ships.
The first of the 16 Lockheed Martin-manufactured F-16 fighter jets being acquired by Bulgaria is scheduled to be delivered to the country towards the end of March 2025. However, concerns have been raised that under some previous administrations, the pace of readying Graf Ignatievo has been inadequate.
Infrastructure for accommodating the Nato Multinational Battle Group near Kabile in south-eastern Bulgaria is to be built, Zapryanov said.
There also were plans to construct new infrastructure for existing military bases in the same area that are not part of the Battle Group, he said.
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