Bulgarian Air Force

Bulgaria will sign a deal for the repair of the engines of its Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets with Poland on Thursday, the Defence Ministry in Sofia announced on Tuesday.

Bulgarian Defense Minister has ordered that the country's Air Force and Navy help rescue the crew of a ship sailing under a Turkish flag which is stranded off Bulgarian waters.

Russia will stop the maintenance of Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29s, if the government in Sofia signs a deal with Poland for the repair of their engines, Sergei Korotkov, Director General of the jets' Russian manufacturer MiG Corp., said on Friday.

Bulgarian Air Force Commander Brig Gen Rumen Radev on Wednesday called for the urgent acquisition of new multirole aircraft.

Brig Gen Radev also warned in an interview with public broadcaster BNT on Monday evening that the government's move to have MiG-29 fighters' engines overhauled in Poland was only a temporary solution to the Air Force's problems.

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 Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev on Tuesday entered into details about the price tag of aircraft engine repair if it is carried out by state-owned facilities in Poland.

The deal with Poland is already finalized, he also said.

Russian agency RIA Novosti has published a piece claiming that Bulgaria is about to renounce its own Air Force and "give its air[space] to NATO."

The Bulgarian Air Forces urgently need new multirole aircraft and a decision on the maintenance of currently available MiG-29s, the chair of Parliament's Defense Committee has said.

Parliament's Defense Committee is set to hold a joint meeting with military officials at the Graf Ignatievo military base, Southern Bulgaria, amid calls for urgent measures to address the needs of the country's Air Force.

Commander of the Bulgarian Air Force, Major General Rumen Radev, who had submitted his resignation earlier on Thursday, withdrew it after a conversation with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.

Borisov familiarised himself with the problems of the Bulgarian Air Force, which were pointed as the motives behind the resignation of General Radev.