Bulgaria Picks Swedish Gripen Fighter Jets

Bulgaria has decided to start talks with Sweden to acquire eight new Gripen combat jets made by SAAB, interim deputy prime minister Stefan Yanev said on Wednesday, as the Balkan country seeks to replace its ageing Soviet-designed MiG-29s.

The Balkan country has picked the Swedish offer in preference to an offer from Portugal of secondhand U.S. F-16s equipped with U.S. weaponry and an offer from Italy of secondhand Eurofighter Typhoon fighters.

A deal is estimated to be worth about 1.5 billion levs ($836 million).

A special commission for the negotiations is expected to be set up within a week, Yanev said. The talks with Sweden will be held by Bulgaria's next government, which is expected to take office next week.

"Sweden's offer is ranked first, followed by Portugal and Italy," interim Defence Minister Yanev said. "It is normal that talks start with the first-ranked country." (end of excerpt)

Click here for the full story, on the Reuters website.

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