Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

President Rumen Radev co-pilots F-16, praises the aircraft's capabilities

Photo: BGNES

President Rumen Radev was co-pilot in an F-16 fighter piloted by an Italian pilot. The demonstration flight from the Graf Ignatyevo airbase lasted 40 minutes. 

"The F-16 flight took me back to 2005, when General Clark, then a captain, and I flew such a fighter. At that time, I was the commander of the Graf Ignatyevo Air Base, and the NATO defence planning process was initiated after our accession," Radev said. 

He recalled that thanks to cooperation with the US, "we have mastered many modern tactics, techniques and procedures, we have mastered the full capabilities of the MiG-29 and our pilots are no longer inferior to their American counterparts".  

Radev expressed confidence that the acquisition of the F-16 Block 70 would remove a number of technical limitations for Bulgarian aviation. "In order to fully exploit the capabilities of this wonderful aircraft, we need to continue working with the pilots at Aviano Air Base," Radev added.



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

Ursula von der Leyen mentions Bulgarian girl Debora on International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Bulgarian Debora Mihaylova , who was brutally slashed with a mock knife by her boyfriend Georgi Georgiev , is one of the victims of violence mentioned by Ursula von der Leyen in her address on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of..

published on 11/25/24 5:09 PM
Rositsa Stelyanova

Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association demands a 3% increase in vocational classes

In a letter to Minister of Education Galin Tsokov, the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association expresses concern over the state plan for admissions for the 2025-2026 academic year, in which the number of vocational classes in schools are being..

published on 11/25/24 4:29 PM

Prosecutor’s office is investigating Romanian citizens for illegal migrant trafficking

The Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office has initiated pre-trial proceedings regarding an organized criminal group for the trafficking of migrants, the prosecutor’s office has announced. Evidence was collected during the investigation regarding 16..

published on 11/25/24 2:51 PM