American military aircraft landed in Sofia to withdraw equipment

A large U.S. Air Force military transport aircraft landed at the civil airport in Sofia, just days after it was announced that American military machines had left the country.

It is a C-17 Globemaster model, which was spotted on the runway. It was later clarified that "the machine is the latest military transport aircraft participating in the process of retrieving the contingent's ground equipment. Its stay in Sofia was within 2 hours, necessary for loading and potentially refueling".

Initially, there was no official information regarding the aircraft's presence. Hours later, Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov explained to journalists in parliament that "it is completely normal for the U.S. to send a transport aircraft to retrieve their equipment". According to him, "this is the reason for its stay".

He further emphasized that "no one has banned the landing of American aircraft at any civil airport. Subsequently, there will be other aircraft landing as well, not only from the U.S. armed forces but also from other countries. This is a completely normal practice, there is no problem with their stay".

C-17 Globemaster type aircraft are among the primary strategic transport machines of the U.S. They are powered by four engines and can transport up to 102 service members. For medical missions, their capacity reaches up to 36 litters and 54 patients with attendants. They are used both for transferring troops and equipment, as well as for aeromedical evacuation.

Similar aircraft have landed in recent months in both Sofia and Varna, with it being explained at the time that these were routine activities such as technical maintenance and refueling. It was stated that the flights were carried out based on diplomatic clearances granted in accordance with current legislation.

The situation is developing against the backdrop of events from February, when a total of 10 KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft, as well as three transport machines of the C-17 and C-130 types, were spotted at "Vasil Levski" Airport in Sofia. It was stated then that they were not participating in current or planned military operations.

Later, Iran sent an official diplomatic note to Bulgaria, in which it defined the presence of the aircraft as part of U.S. actions in the Middle East and stated that it reserves the right to protect its national interest.

During the same period, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio named Bulgaria among the NATO countries that have been "very helpful" to Washington during the conflict with Iran. He stated: "Just as an example, Portugal. They said 'yes' even before we told them what the question was. Poland. There are such countries, Romania, Bulgaria. Others, like Spain, were terrible, absolutely appalling".

Initially, the authorization for the deployment of up to 15 American aircraft with up to 500 personnel was until May 30, but on May 29, the deadline was extended until June 30, 2026. During this period, 14 tanker aircraft were based at Sofia Airport.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev also commented on the topic, stating that he had raised the issue of visa waivers for Bulgarian citizens during talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and representatives of the Pentagon. On the American side, however, it was indicated that the requirement for under 3% refusals remains in effect, while Bulgaria is currently at a level of 5.11%.

Just days ago, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense announced that the American aircraft had left the country.