December 19 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria has received valid offers from Finland's Patria and US-based General Dynamics in its tender for the purchase of 150 armoured vehicles for its army worth an estimated 1.46 billion levs ($838 million/746 million euro), defence minister Krassimir Karakachanov said.
The Bulgarian government has sent requests for clarifications regarding the parameters of the two offers, giving the companies until Friday to respond, Karakachanov said, as seen in a video file published by the defence ministry's press office on Wednesday.
In a separate statement on Wednesday, Patria said that it is offering to supply 150 of its AMV 8x8 XP vehicles, of which 90 combat vehicles and 60 support vehicles.
In August, Bulgaria sent requests for proposals to four manufacturers - Patria, General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS)-MOWAG, Germany's Artec, and France's Nexter Group.
The project and its financing were endorsed by Bulgaria's government and parliament last year.
Bulgaria, which has committed to increase its defence spending up to NATO standards, signed a $1.2 billion agreement to acquire eight F-16 fighter jets from the US earlier this year. The first F-16 aircraft are expected to be delivered to Bulgaria by the end of 2022.
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)