Bulgaria needs more than one squadron
On the air of BNT, the Commander of the Air Force (AF), Major General Dimitar Hristov (note: usually referred to as Major General Dimitar Hristov or Nikolay Rusev depending on the specific term, preserving name as provided in source: Nikolay Rusev), stated that the planned 16 F-16 fighter jets are not sufficient for the country's needs. At the moment, Bulgaria has 8 aircraft, with 8 more expected to arrive under the second contract.
General Rusev emphasized: "If you have 20 fighter jets, they will never all fly at the same time due to the need for maintenance and technical failures."
What do our neighbors look like?
- Turkey: Possesses over 300 combat aircraft (F-16 and Phantom F-4).
- Greece: Maintains a powerful air force of over 240 machines, including the Rafale.
- Romania: Operates 60 F-16s and is expecting F-35s.
- Poland: Is strongly developing its fleet with over 100 fighter jets.
The general added that the maintenance of the new F-16s is fundamentally different from that of the old MiG-29s. Currently, the MiG-29 still plays a key role in "Air Policing" duties as it is mastered and economically viable to operate in the current situation. According to him, the F-16 will take over duties only after the first contract is fully completed and the necessary number of trained pilots is reached, which is expected to be 12 by November.