A missile is fired from a Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defense System in this undated photo. The State Department approved a possible sale of the system and related equipment to Bulgaria, according to an agency statement July 21, 2025. (Courtesy photo/Kongsberg)
Bulgaria has initial clearance to buy a $620 million coastal protection system and related support from the U.S., part of a broader effort to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank against potential Russian aggression.
The State Department signed off on the sale of the Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defense System following a request from the Bulgarian government, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement Monday.
The precision-strike, surface-to-surface system is designed to take out a range of sea targets from small ships to destroyers and frigates, according to Norway-based manufacturer Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace.
The system — whose missiles have a range exceeding 162 nautical miles, the company says — is expected to strengthen Bulgaria’s Black Sea coastline defenses.
A Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defense System munition is fired in this undated photo. The State Department approved an estimated $620 million purchase of the weapons system by Bulgaria, the agency said in a statement July 21, 2025. (Courtesy photo/Kongsberg)
The estimated cost includes training systems, inert and test missiles, spare parts, integration support and other services, the agency said.
Since 2022, Russia’s navy has been using cruise missiles, naval mines and sea-denial tactics in its ongoing war with Ukraine.
Those threats have at times approached NATO members’ territorial waters, raising concerns about the security of regional shipping lanes and port infrastructure.
In response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, NATO established the multinational Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group in Bulgaria, alongside similar units in Romania, Slovakia and Hungary later that year.
The Bulgarian group consists of about 1,650 troops, including Americans, who rotate roughly every six months.
Last year, Bulgaria met NATO’s old benchmark of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense for the first time. In June, it joined other alliance members in endorsing a new goal to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.
