Graf Ignatievo Air Base

Caretaker Minister of Defense Stefan Yanev met in Sofia General Tod Wolters, commander of the US Air Force in Europe and Africa and commander of Allied Air Command of NATO, BNR reported.

Topic of the discussion were joint exercises and flight trainings of the Air Forces of both countries. The guest praised the relations between Bulgaria and the US in the sphere of defense.

Bulgaria's Defense Ministry has said it seek to enter direct talks for the supply of ten engines for MiG-29 fighter jets, Offnews.bg reports.

The development was announced on Tuesday by the ministry itself after a meeting with the single bidder, a company called Aviostart.

As of tomorrow, training for joint tasks to be carried out under Air Policing will begin at the Graf Ignatievo air base. Bulgarian and American crews of MiG-19 and F-15 aircraft will participate in the training. The training will take place under the joint command of Torrejon, Spain and Sofia Area Control Centre.

Eight F-15 C/D fighter jets from the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard were relocated on Thursday to Bulgaria's Graf Ignatievo Air Base.

The jets were relocated for their participation in the joint Bulgarian-US air training "Thracian Eagle - 2016", the press service of the Bulgarian defence ministry informs.

The Bulgarian defence ministry informed on Friday that it has launched a public tender for the supply of ten engines for MiG-29 fighter jets.

The engines can be either new or repaired ones and are needed to extend the operational capacity of five fighter jets, daily Sega informs.

Bulgarian Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev will table to the Council of Ministers the draft for the acquisition of a new multi-purpose fighter jet in several days.

Nenchev said this at the Graf Ignatievo air base on Thursday where he is attending the celebrations marking the 65th anniversary of its establishment.

Bulgaria will call a tender for six new engines for its MiG-29 fighter jets and the relevant spare parts by the end of the month, Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev said on Tuesday.

The first two engines which will be used for repair of six Bulgarian MiG-29 fighter jets were delivered at the Graf Ignatievo air base on Tuesday.

This is in line with the implementation of the intergovernmental agreement signed between Bulgaria and Poland in October.

According to the agreement, six Bulgarian engines will be repaired in Poland until the middle of next year.

Commander of the Bulgarian Air Force, Major General Rumen Radev, has reportedly submitted his resignation.

This was reported by daily Sega on Thursday, based on information of the defence ministry, which has been confirmed unofficially.

A statement of the defence ministry on the matter is expected.

A Bulgarian Air Force Pilatus PC-12 transport aircraft has landed on its belly at Graf Ignatievo airfield after its landing gear failed, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

The crew has suffered no injuries, the ministry said in a statement.