site.btaGreen Bridge 2025 Air Exercise Held over Bulgaria and Greece

The Green Bridge flight training took place in Bulgarian and Greek airspace on October 14, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday. The annual exercise held by the Bulgarian and Hellenic Air Forces aims to enhance the readiness of fighter pilots to carry out air policing missions.

Crews of MiG-29 fighters from Bulgaria's Third Air Base and F-16s from the Hellenic Air Force conducted a joint air policing mission, operating from their respective home airfields. The role of an aircraft deviating from its flight plan was performed by a Greek Embraer EMB-145 military transport aircraft.

The on-duty fighters successfully executed all procedures related to the conduct of cross-border operations. They intercepted the "intruder" and directed it to land at a designated airfield. Monitoring, reception and handover of the aircraft within the airspace of both countries were carried out with precise coordination between the national command centres.

Just days earlier, the multinational exercise Poseidon 25 concluded in the Black Sea. The annual Poseidon series is designed to improve mine countermeasure interoperability and is hosted alternately by the naval forces of Romania and Bulgaria.