Bulgaria’s first Stryker armoured fighting vehicles arrive
Deliveries of the new Stryker combat and support vehicles for the Bulgarian military have begun, Bulgaria’s Defence Ministry said on February 14.
They are being carried out in fulfillment of international contracts of the Ministry of Defence under the main projects for the modernization of the Bulgarian Army, the ministry said.
The first five Stryker armoured fighting vehicles arrived at the port of Bourgas on February 14, as part of a delivery from the United States and Canada.
In accordance with the industrial cooperation agreement, they will be delivered to the TEREM – Ivaylo LLC plant in Veliko Turnovo for final assembly and subsequent delivery to the 61st Mechanised Brigade in the town of Karlovo.
Within the same delivery, logistics vehicles and equipment under the F-16 contract also arrived in Bulgaria, the Defence Ministry said.
An additional eight Stryker armoured fighting vehicles were also delivered, which were provided free of charge under a program with the United States and will be used for training in the 61st Mechanised Brigade, the ministry said.
Bulgaria is acquiring a total of 198 combat and support vehicles, including 183 Strykers and 15 support lorries.
The vehicles are costing about 1.12 billion euro, being paid in instalments, and Bulgaria is also acquiring ammunition for the Strykers, at a cost of about 96.1 million euro.
Bulgaria’s Parliament ratified the contract for the Strykers in December 2023 and the agreement with the US for the ammunition in August 2024.
The vehicles, to be used by the army, include reconnaissance and command and staff vehicles, special vehicles for nuclear, chemical and biological reconnaissance, for medical evacuation, for engineering support, transport and evacuation vehicles.
(Archive photo: US Army)
