site.btaAdmiral Emil Eftimov, Visiting General James B. Hecker Discuss Strengthening NATO's Integrated Air Defence

Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov met with the Commander of the NATO Allied Air Command and Commander of the US Air Command Europe and Africa, General James B. Hecker, who is on an official visit to Bulgaria, the ministry's press office said on Thursday.

In connection with Russia's aggression over Ukraine, the issue of the situation over the Black Sea airspace and the need to strengthen NATO's efforts to reinforce the alliance's integrated air defence system were in the focus of the conversation. Lessons learned from the war in Ukraine were also discussed, which confirmed the correctness of the priorities set in the development of the Bulgarian Army's capabilities for the acquisition of air defence and radio-electronic warfare systems, as well as anti-drone systems.

Admiral Eftimov stressed the importance of acquiring aircraft such as the F-16 Block 70, which significantly enhances Bulgaria's defence capabilities and allows the full integration of the Bulgarian Air Force into NATO structures. He thanked for the support provided by General Hecker and the Aviano air base for the optimization of the training of the personnel and for the achievement of the requirements of the infrastructure improvements of the Third Air Base (Graf Ignatievo).

The Chief of Defence assured the guest that Bulgaria is taking all possible measures to meet the necessary infrastructure requirements before the arrival of the new aircraft. 

During his visit to Bulgaria, Gen. Hecker also held a meeting with Air Force Commander Major General Dimitar Petrov and visited the Third Air Base.