Graf Ignatievo

The black box from the crashed L-39 "Albatros" has been successfully read, with the data sent to the aircraft's manufacturer in the Czech Republic for analysis. Initial findings suggest that the likely cause of the crash was a flight at an extremely low altitude prior to a vertical ascent, as reported by BNT.

The pilots Major Petko Dimitrov and Senior Lieutenant Ventsislav Dunkin, who tragically lost their lives in the "Graf Ignatievo" plane crash on September 13, have been posthumously promoted to higher military ranks. The promotions were made by order of Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov.

Dimitrina Popova, the wife of MiG-29 pilot Major Valentin Terziev, who died in 2021, has renewed her call for the resignation of Bulgaria's top military leadership via social media. Her appeal follows the tragic deaths of two military pilots on Friday near Graf Ignatievo involving the L-39 aircraft.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev is set to perform a demonstration flight in an F-16 fighter jet, following an invitation from the US Air Force, according to a statement from the president's administration.

Acting Bulgarian Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov has clarified that the airbase near Graf Ignatievo will not include facilities for storing nuclear weapons. This information was provided in response to a query from MP Ivan Petkov of the Bulgarian Socialist Party.

In response to ongoing staffing challenges within the Bulgarian army, the caretaker government is exploring alternative solutions, with military training for security personnel emerging as a potential strategy.

Specialists from the United States have conducted an inspection of the repair work at Bulgaria's air base near Graf Ignatievo, according to information obtained by BNR. The visit, announced by Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov a week ago, aimed to certify the facilities and security systems crucial for the deployment of Bulgaria's new F-16 fighter jets.

Bulgaria's Parliament approved a contract to build a warehouse to store classified equipment and weapons for the F-16 aircraft. The premises will be located at the Graf Ignatievo air base and will cost 7.2 million dollars.

The contract provides for:

"The situation in Kosovo is becoming tense, we are monitoring it carefully, we have organized round-the-clock duty in order to have timely received information and a reaction from our side that would be adequate to this situation. At the moment, there has been no request to the Bulgarian side to increase the Bulgarian contingent in KFOR".

American F-35 fighters have landed at Graf Ignatievo Air Base as a continuation of the NATO mission to protect Bulgaria's airspace.

The statement came from NATO's Allied Air Command on Twitter but did not specify the number of aircraft.