MiG

Russia's Defense Ministry said Nov. 14 that a fighter jet crashed while attempting to land on the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean off Syria, but the pilot survived.

In a statement to Russian news agencies, the Defense Ministry said the MiG-29K fighter crashed due to a "technical fault" a few kilometers (miles) from the carrier.

The Bulgarian government has given Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev a mandate to sign a deal under which the engines of six MiG fighter jets will be overhauled in Poland.

After the cabinet's move, Parliament is yet to ratify the agreement which sparked controversy in Bulgaria and also outrage from Russian manufacturer RSK MiG.

Bulgarian Parliament's Defense Committee head Miho Mikov has described as "unacceptable" the prospect of Bulgaria paying other NATO members to protect its airspace.

Mihov is referring to a scenario that could follow if the country's current aircraft fleet, composed mainly of MiG fighter jets, is retired in September due to lack of maintenance.

Repair works on the MiG fighter jets that are currently part of Bulgaria's aircraft fleet are quite expensive to repair, Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev asserted Friday answering to a question in Parliament.

Bulgaria's President Rosen Plevneliev criticized the tightening of the country's defense budget and urged for its immediate increase. 

“The country must increase its defense budget to at least 1.5% of GDP and to bring it back to the 2%, which we had before the start of the economic downturn,” Plevneliev said after his meeting with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.