The President receives representatives of Lockheed Martin

The acquisition of defence equipment is an important stage in the process of modernisation of our Armed Forces, but for it to be fully effective, it must be accompanied by industrial cooperation and technology transfer, President Rumen Radev said at a meeting with representatives of Lockheed Martin, which specialises in aircraft construction and is engaged in the production of F-16 Block 70 fighter jets for the Bulgarian Air Force.

The head of State expressed his expectation that the production and delivery of the F-16s will be completed on time so that this country can maintain and develop its own capabilities for the protection of its airspace. Bulgaria continues to look for sustainable solutions to prevent it from losing defence capabilities, given the expiration of the MiG-29 fighter aircraft's flying resources and the delayed delivery of the already purchased F-16 Block 70 fighter jets, the President recalled.

The creation of conditions for the repair and maintenance of aircraft in Bulgaria, which will optimise the country's investment of resources for defence, as well as the opportunities for the development of new defence technologies in Bulgaria, were also among the topics discussed.

The interest of this country in deepening the partnership with the American company in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles was also expressed.

The possibility of providing helicopters for training Bulgarian pilots was also among the issues raised. Support in this direction would contribute to the successful implementation of the project for the establishment of the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS), initiated by the presidential institution and set out in the Recovery and Resilience Plan.