The Council of Ministers approved three decisions concerning the acquisition of military vehicles, counter-drone systems and ammunition for the Bulgarian Armed Forces through cooperation with Italy, Spain and France.

An agreement with Italy on the acquisition of military road vehicles for the Bulgarian Army was approved first. The defence minister was authorised to sign it. The agreement establishes the framework for bilateral cooperation and prepares the conclusion of a subsequent acquisition agreement.

Bulgaria intends to acquire up to 1,040 military road vehicles at a total cost of up to €410 million. The government also approved an investment expenditure project titled “Development of Transport Support Capabilities for the Armed Forces”, which will be submitted to the National Assembly for approval.

The acquisition is planned in two stages. Between 2027 and 2030, up to 700 vehicles are to be delivered, together with training, technical maintenance and spare parts. Up to €290 million will be needed for this stage, provided through the SAFE financial instrument. By the end of 2032, the remaining vehicles are to be acquired until the total reaches 1,040, requiring up to €120 million in financing for the second stage.

The project is expected to improve transport support during the implementation of the armed forces’ three missions. It will increase the capacity to transport weapons, equipment and material resources, while improving the operational readiness of the Bulgarian Army. It also includes opportunities for long-term industrial cooperation, including the assembly of part of the equipment in Bulgaria with the involvement of national industry.

The government also approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Spain for the joint acquisition of counter-unmanned-aircraft systems. The document is part of the project to acquire anti-drone systems under the National Plan for Investment in the European Defence Industry through SAFE.

The memorandum provides for the joint acquisition of up to 10 mobile systems and up to 10 container-type systems for combating drones, with Spain acting as the lead country. The next steps are approval of the investment expenditure project by the National Assembly and Bulgaria’s accession to the lead country’s acquisition contract. Signing the memorandum will create an opportunity to implement the project more quickly and improve the Bulgarian Army’s ability to counter the growing threat posed by unmanned aircraft.

The third decision concerns France. The government approved the signing of a framework agreement for the joint acquisition of 155mm ammunition for self-propelled howitzers. The defence minister was authorised to conduct the negotiations and sign the document.

The agreement forms part of the project to develop artillery-support capabilities included in the SAFE national plan. The project envisages the joint acquisition of 155mm CAESAR self-propelled howitzers and ammunition for them, with France serving as the lead country. The two countries signed a framework agreement for the howitzers in 2025, while the forthcoming ammunition agreement is the next step in this priority project for the Bulgarian Army.

Source: focus-news.net