PALUBA

Aviation magazine “Club KRILE” (WINGS) is as always the first to bring the aviation news to you.
 Last week we were the first to inform about the coming visit of Israeli company IAI (http://www.pan.bg/view_article-1-5101-Izraelska-delegaciq-v-Bylgariq-po-pokana-na-MO.html) and today IAI offered Kfir as a new combat aircraft for the Bulgarian Air force.
 It coincided with the two days visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Bulgaria, which may bring another competitor for a new fighter for Bulgarian Air force – the modernized Kfir C.60. Two weeks ago the Bulgaria defense minister Anu Angelov was ‘tempted’ by such an offer when visited the IAI booth at the Paris Air show. The supposed price in times smaller compared to the ones offered by the companies requested by RfI, sent in February to Eurofighter, SAAB, Boeing and Martin Lockheed.
 And the official announcement from today is that Bulgaria and Israel will hold a first joint session of their governments and sign a defence cooperation agreement on July 7 in Sofia, the Bulgarian foreign ministry said Tuesday. "This is the first joint session that Israel holds with another country in the (Balkan) region," ministry spokeswoman Vesela Cherneva said. Cherneva said the two countries will sign a bilateral agreement for defence cooperation, with Israeli companies encouraged to participate in the modernisation of Bulgaria's defence equipment.