Bulgarian Parliament ratifies 154M leva contract for US-made Javelin missiles
Bulgaria’s Parliament voted in successive first and second readings on March 26 to ratify a contract worth $82.7 million – about 153.9 million leva – to acquire United States-made Javelin anti-tank missiles.
In Bulgaria’s 240-seat National Assembly, the vote was 164 in favour and 43 against.
The votes against came from pro-Russian minority party Vuzrazhdane, the nationalist-populist Mech group and one MP from the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms group of Ahmed Dogan loyalists.
The contract was signed on October 17 2024, but was put to Parliament by the government only this year, after a previous decision to delay tabling it so that payments would start only in 2025.
According to Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov, this year’s first instalment will add up to about 55.8 million leva.
The scope of the contract provides for the acquisition of guided anti-tank missiles; a light command module for launching missiles; maintenance equipment; technical literature; software related to the missiles; accompanying documentation; maintenance until February 2035; training for use; and training of ammunition specialists.
The acquisition of the Javelin missiles is linked to Bulgaria’s acquisition of US-made Stryker armoured combat vehicles.
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