A loud scandal broke out in Bulgaria over Polish MiG-29s promised to Ukraine: details
фото: ВПС Словаччини
A political row has erupted in Bulgaria after the Defense Ministry announced it was seeking MiG-29 aircraft for spare parts. Opposition members have called for the country to abandon Soviet-era aircraft and continue modernizing its air force with Western fighters.
This is reported by OBOZ.UA.
Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said the agency is looking for spare parts for MiG-29 fighters and is also exploring the possibility of purchasing used F-16 or JAS 39 Gripen aircraft. He said that requests have already been sent to Poland, Hungary and several other countries.
“We have enough aircraft, but we need spare parts. That’s all we want, nothing more. Letters have also been sent to the US Department of Defense and Sweden regarding used F-16 and JAS 39 Gripen aircraft,” said Dimitar Stoyanov.
The minister noted that Bulgaria does not plan to purchase MiG-29s for combat use or to create a new squadron, but considers them solely as a source of spare parts. He also reported that on July 24 he had contacted his Polish and Hungarian counterparts with a request regarding the future fate of their MiG-29s and the possibility of obtaining components.
According to Stoyanov, the F-16s delivered to Bulgaria cannot yet perform combat duty due to insufficient training of the flight crew.
“Pilots need 160 hours of training, of which 40 hours are in a simulator and 120 hours of flight,” the minister explained. He added that under current conditions, the F-16s will not be able to be on combat duty for another 5 years.
The minister’s statements sparked criticism in parliament. Democratic Bulgaria MP Ivaylo Mirchev said: “Bulgaria should buy modern NATO aircraft, not MiG-29s.” He stressed that the country should rearm with Western equipment, not return to Soviet aircraft.
As a sign of protest, the youth wing of the “Yes, Bulgaria” party parked a Moskvich car near the Ministry of Defense.
“Instead of turning Bulgaria into a Porsche, he is turning the country and the Bulgarian Armed Forces into a Moskvich,” said the organization’s representative Todor Petrov.
Radoslav Rybarsky, a deputy from the “Continue Changes” party, also spoke out against the restoration of old military equipment.
“We support the real modernization of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. This has been the main goal of the last 5 years and has received unanimous support from the parliament. I hope the Ministry of Defense will not get carried away with such exotic ideas, as they will cost more money and may endanger the lives of Bulgarian servicemen,” he said.
At the same time, GERB-SDS MP Hristo Gadzhev said that the Bulgarian MiG-29s may remain in service until 2029, and the Su-25s are planned to be decommissioned in 2027. According to him, over the past 10 years, the Bulgarian MiG-29s have been serviced in Poland, so there were no problems with the provision of spare parts.
We would like to remind you that Poland has not yet made a final decision on the transfer of MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine . At the same time, Warsaw does not rule out such a possibility, but is considering it only in the format of an exchange.
As reported, Poland does not plan to transfer MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine, as Kyiv allegedly failed to fulfill agreements on cooperation in the field of unmanned technologies.
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