site.btaUPDATED No Deviation from Flight Path by Il-76 Aircraft over Bulgaria, Defence Minister Says

The Ilyushin Il-76 that flew over Bulgaria had received diplomatic clearance and was on a humanitarian mission to Serbia, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said during a hearing on current issues at Parliament's Defence Committee on Wednesday.

The aircraft flew 60-70 km north of Bezmer airbase, Stoyanov said in response to a question from Progressive Bulgaria MP Ivan Dimitrov.

Stoyanov described claims that the aircraft had deviated from its flight path and flown over Bezmer as "unnecessary noise". There was no deviation from the aircraft's designated flight path, he said. According to Stoyanov, neither Bulgarian nor partner intelligence services had any indications that the aircraft was conducting reconnaissance flights. 

A Russian Il-76 aircraft operated by the Russian Emergencies Ministry carried out a humanitarian flight to help fight wildfires in Serbia, the Foreign Ministry told BTA on August 19 in response to an inquiry about the Russian flight over Bulgaria. The flight was made following a request from Serbia related to the wildfires, the ministry said. The Transport and Communications Ministry also confirmed that the aircraft had flown to assist with firefighting operations in Serbia.

In response to a question from GERB-UDF MP Hristo Gadzhev, Stoyanov reported that his ministry is actively working to purchase second-hand Stryker armoured vehicles. He added: "Although there are other countries that might want to acquire them, Bulgaria is Stryker's largest customer in all of Europe, and it makes sense for us to acquire them. This is an option that I hope we will take advantage of."

In response to a question from Continue the Change MP Radoslav Ribarski, Stoyanov said that at this time, there is no need to ask Greece to deploy Patriot surface-to-air missile systems closer to Bulgaria. He added: "The area around Bezmer was probably the most heavily guarded location in the country when the American planes were there. The security measures that were put in place were of an exceptionally high standard."

Addressing Democratic Bulgaria MP Atanas Slavov, the Minister said: "The situation in the Air Force is complicated, and the only solution I see at the moment is the MiG-29, however unpleasant that may be for some." Stoyanov stated that it doesn't matter to him whether the aircraft conducting air policing are MiG-29s or F-16s. He reported that there is no source from which to obtain used F-16s for Bulgaria. On Wednesday morning, he received a letter from Saab, the manufacturer of the Gripen fighter jet, which notified him that Bulgaria cannot obtain used aircraft.

The Defence Minister said that the only option left for Bulgaria is to obtain spare parts for MiG-29 from Poland, however, Poland is yet to respond to Bulgaria's enquiry.

Stoyanov said that if anything were to happen to the existing MiG-29s, Bulgaria would be left with only eight F-16s, which are insufficient for air policing. He stated: "The Ministry of Defence will do everything possible to secure the delivery of parts for the MiG-29s, whether from Poland, Hungary, or any other country not subject to restrictions. The goal is for Bulgaria to defend its airspace on its own, as a reliable ally, because we have committed to maintaining a certain number of aircraft on standby."

Regarding the delay in the delivery of the second eight new F-16s, Stoyanov has requested compensation and that the possible delivery dates be brought forward. The Minister noted that Bulgaria is not at fault, as there are many other orders ahead of Bulgaria's, and the factory does not have sufficient capacity.

Stoyanov said that, as caretaker minister of defence, he had sent seven letters regarding the acquisition of used Mirage 2000, Gripen, and F-16 aircraft to the Netherlands, Belgium, the US, and other countries, however, since 2023, nothing has been done to acquire other aircraft.

On the topic of the new F-16s beginning to perform combat duty, the Minister reported that a critically important system is missing. "We do not have it because the contract has not yet been fulfilled. We have been assured that it will be delivered next year. The MiG-21 and MiG-29 have this system, but in those aircraft it is obsolete. The one that is coming is of a much higher standard," he said.