Russia's RSK MiG has won the tender for the upgrade and overhaul of the Bulgarian MiG-29 fighter aircraft, Defence Minister Nikolay Svinarov told journalists. He expects that a contract will be signed with the Russian company by the end of this month. “Only MiG was able to get to the final stage of the tender procedure. The other companies we had invited under Article Six of Public Procurement Act were not allowed to participate because of incompliance with formal criteria, “ Svinarov commented. Five companies filed bids for upgrading the army's 20 Soviet-built MiG-29 fighters in an international tender aimed at bringing Bulgaria’s air force up to NATO standards. The five offers, opened at the defence ministry came from Russia's RSK MiG, Israel's Elbit Systems, European aerospace company EADS, IAI (Israel Aircraft Industries) and Belarus' 558th auto repair plant Baranovichi. Under the terms of the tender, called in mid-December, the bidders are required to repair the planes at Bulgaria's aviation repair plant Georgi Benkovski.

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