LONDON — The Bulgarian Defence Ministry is expected to select its new three-coordinate radar in the coming weeks, according to industry representatives present at this year’s DSEI show in London.
On Aug. 24, Bulgariam Deputy Defence Minister Stanimir Georgiev said the planned acquisition of seven new radars is crucial for the country’s ongoing efforts to modernize its Air Force.
According to the ministry, five companies submitted their offers: France’s Thales; Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary Elta Systems; Italy’s Leonardo, Spain’s Indra; and U.S company Lockheed Martin.
Taschko Nikolov, the director for business development in Bulgaria for Thales, said the company is offering a radar from its Ground Master family for the Air Force, per a statement provided to Defense News by the French firm’s communications team at DSEI.
John Neilson, the director for international communications at Lockheed Martin, told Defense News the company has proposed the TPS-77 radar to Bulgaria. “We await feedback from the Bulgarian MoD on next steps in the process,” Neilson said.
The forthcoming acquisition is worth about 400 million leva ($219 million). The main criteria under consideration are price, maintenance costs, operational capacities, industrial cooperation opportunities and warranty maintenance terms, according to the ministry.
Defense News has contacted Leonardo, Elta and Indra for comment.
Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.
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