Bulgaria and Germany sign agreement for joint purchase of IRIS-T Missile Systems

Bulgarian caretaker Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius signed a programme agreement for the joint purchase of IRIS-T air defense missile systems. The agreement was signed during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

The agreement is under the Memorandum of Understanding on the joint purchase of ground-based air defence systems within the framework of the European Sky Shield Initiative, the Ministry of Defense Announced. The aim is to overcome the shortfall in the Bulgarian Air Force's air and missile defence capabilities through technological upgrades and to achieve interoperability within the allied air defence system.

A bilateral discussion between the Bulgarian and Ukrainian delegations was held in the context of seeking joint solutions to support Ukraine. In his statement, Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov reiterated that Bulgaria continues to support Ukraine in line with the decisions of the National Assembly.