Bulgaria’s Parliament approves acquisition of seven new 3D radars

Bulgaria’s Parliament voted on June 10 to approve a draft decision on the acquisition of seven new three-coordinate radars and auxiliary equipment.

In the 240-seat House, the vote was 186 in favour, with only three – from pro-Russian party Vuzrazhdane, Parliament’s smallest group – against.

The total amount of the order for the acquisition of 3D radars from French company Thales LAS France SAS is 114.1 million euro.

The Defence Ministry and the French company agree that, given the geopolitical situation, there may be unforeseen factors that change the final price.

Taking into account the forecast for the coming years,  the decision allows for a final amount for the implementation of the project of up to 195 million euro.

The financing will be covered by funds from the SAFE package, an EU financial mechanism to support member states.

SAFE provides cheap long-term loans for a massive increase in defence investment, including joint procurement.

Parliament’s decision was urgent because if the contract is not approved by the end of this month, Bulgaria will lose its production slots and will not have new radars before 2030.

Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov told the House that it is a matter of two contracts – the first is between Bulgaria’s and France’s defence ministries, and the second is between the Ministry of Defence and the Thales company.

Once the contracts are signed, they will be subject to ratification by Parliament.