The "Terem - Ivaylo" plant is fully ready to start assembling the "Stryker" combat vehicles. The first vehicles are expected to arrive from the USA in February and the process will begin. This was announced to journalists in Veliko Tarnovo by the Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov. Today, January 13, the Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov and the Deputy Minister of Defense Adelina Nikolova were acquainted on site with the company's readiness to carry out the final assembly of the vehicles, checking their functionality and overall preparation. Also present was the executive director of "Terem Holding" EAD Kalin Dimitrov.
Minister Zapryanov recalled that the government is investing 17 million leva in the preparation of the plant “Terem - Ivaylo“ EOOD. According to the contract, a total of 198 armored and auxiliary vehicles will be delivered to our country.
As part of the preparation of the infrastructure, the buildings where the equipment will be received and the assembly will be carried out have been completely renovated on the territory of the plant. New buildings have also been built for other activities. Finishing work is currently underway on the sites. In addition to construction activities, the company is also preparing and training its personnel. According to Minister Zapryanov, the new thing is that in addition to the assembly of the machines, a center for service maintenance of radio stations and communication equipment will be deployed in “Terem - Ivaylo“, which has not existed in Bulgaria before. The service center will provide an opportunity to diagnose and repair communication equipment for other formations in the army.
The Minister of Defense recalled that under the contract of “Terem - Ivaylo“ with “General Dynamics“, in addition to assembly, the functionality of the internal communication systems, the control of the machine, its firepower, as well as the radio systems and communications will be checked in Bulgaria. After the retrofitting and verification of the functionality, “Terem - Ivaylo“ with “General Dynamics“ will hand over the equipment to the US Army Forces. According to the contract of the Ministry of Defense with the US government, the US Army Forces will provide this equipment to the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense and our Army Forces; tests will be carried out, including firing, after which it will be accepted by the Land Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria and crew training will begin.
The financing under the contract for the acquisition of the combat vehicles is fully secured, and the relevant payments are made annually and periodically.
In Veliko Tarnovo, Minister Atanas Zapryanov also answered other journalistic questions related to current topics in defense. “All the goals that we had set in the program regarding defense have been met“, he emphasized. As an example, he pointed out the completed delivery of the first eight F-16 Block 70 aircraft, the preparation of the infrastructure of the Third Aviation Base, the acceptance of the first multi-purpose combat ship, the preparation of the infrastructure for the “Stryker“ combat vehicles, etc. “Without disrupting combat training, all exercises and events have been completed“, the minister said. He thanked the Prime Minister and his fellow ministers for their support.
According to the contract with Germany for a new IRIS-T air defense system, the first such system has been ordered and is currently being produced. In February, the European Commission is expected to approve the national plan under the SAFE mechanism, after which the Bulgarian Parliament will have its say. The plan includes a total of nine projects that are key to our defense capabilities.
The preparation and mastering of the new aircraft is also continuing successfully. “From the arrival of equipment to obtaining a national operational capability, it takes time“, Minister Zapryanov pointed out and added: “Our pilots are currently flying and mastering the aircraft. We expect them to have another training and readiness by the end of next year. A total of 32 pilots must be trained and certified“.
Among the problems in defense, he primarily pointed out the financial security and the need for political stability in order not to stop the development of modernization projects.
Minister Atanas Zapryanov emphasized that he is calm about the state of the Bulgarian Army and that the people in it are motivated. In his words, there is a huge interest in serving in the army. “We have reduced the shortage of soldiers by 4.3 percent in one year“, he pointed out and added: “We are already dealing with the shortage, but we need a budget“.