March 14 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's defence ministry has launched a public tender worth an estimated 26.4 million levs ($14.5 million/13.5 million euro) for the purchase of six renovated engines for the Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter aircraft of the country's Air Force, official data showed.
The ministry will seek to negotiate the purchase of six RD-33, Series 2 engines complete with all necessary spare parts, with delivery to take place within nine months of the issue of import delivery permits and no later than 12 months from the contract signing, according to a tender notice published in the public procurement register last week.
Interested parties must submit their offers by April 24, with selection to be made according to the proposed price.
Bulgaria has ordered two batches of eight F-16 Lockheed Martin fighter aircraft, to be respectively delivered in 2025 at the earliest, and 2029.
In the meantime, however,Bulgaria must ensure the airworthiness of its ageing fleet of MiG-29s. No definitive results have been announced yet from earlier talks with France, Sweden and Israel on possible delivery of replacement combat aircraft for the Bulgarian Air Force and from negotiations with Poland on the potential delivery of replacement engines for the MiG-29s.
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)