Bulgarian premier Boyko Borisov disclosed on Dec. 14 that he favours buying the F-16 to replace the country’s MiG-29s.

Borisov was quoted as saying that he “heard from the pilots, a new F-16 is a significantly better aircraft than all the rest that are on offer.”

Borisov spoke on December 14 before the second day of an EU summit in Sofia.

Bulgaria has budgeted 900 million euros ($1 billion) for the purchase of at least eight fighter jets.

The Defence Ministry is reviewing offers from the United States for new Lockheed Martin F-16s and Boeing F-18s, new Gripen jets from Sweden, and used Eurofighters from Italy.

Borisov told reporters he did not want to influence the process, but he said that “from what I have heard from the pilots, a new F-16 is a significantly better aircraft than all the rest that are on offer.”