Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria's MiG-29 jets will continue to fly even after the delivery of F-16s

Photo: BGNES

Minister of Defense Todor Tagarev has surprisingly announced that a procedure is underway for 6 more engines for the MiG-29 jets of the Bulgarian Army and that the Soviet aircraft would not only fly until the arrival of the F-16s, but will continue to operate after that. 

"During my mandate, we concluded a contract for the repair of 6 engines for the MiG 29 jets and two units for coordinating their work, which will allow several aircraft to be operational and maintained. We have done our best to make these aircraft flying until the delivery of the F-16 jets and even a little bit beyond that,” the minister told BNT. The first F-16s are expected to arrive in the spring of 2025.

Bulgaria has a dozen MiG-29s, of which usually no more than 6-7 are operational. Licensed repairs are done only in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, while engines can be provided by the same countries, as well as Poland and Slovakia.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgarian Parliament temporarily bans export of petroleum products

The National Assembly has temporarily banned the export and intra-EU delivery of petroleum products, mainly diesel and aviation fuel. The decision was approved with 135 votes in favour, 4 against, and 42 abstentions, following a proposal submitted by..

published on 10/31/25 6:12 PM

Eurostat: Bulgarians are among Europe's least frequent train users

Passenger rail transport in the EU grew by 5.8% in 2024, according to data published today by Eurostat. Last year, trains carried a total of 443 billion passenger-kilometres, the highest level recorded since the start of Eurostat’s observations in 2004...

published on 10/31/25 6:07 PM

Series of violations found after flood in Elenite resort

An inspection has uncovered numerous violations following the recent flood in the Elenite resort complex. No records of environmental approval for the construction in Elenite were found in the archives of the Ministry of Environment and Water, Minister..

published on 10/31/25 3:50 PM