site.btaBulgarian MiG-29 and Romanian F-16 Pilots Conduct Joint Air Policing Exercise

Bulgarian MiG-29 crews from the 3rd Air Base in Graf Ignatievo and Romanian Air Force F-16 pilots carried out a joint training mission for airspace policing, the Ministry of Defence said Wednesday. The teams successfully completed all procedures related to airspace control as part of the Air Policing mission during the Blue Bridge 2025 flight exercise.

The joint training involved the handover and interception of a simulated "intruder aircraft" crossing the air borders between Bulgaria and Romania. This role was played by a C-27J Spartan military transport aircraft from the 16th Air Base in Sofia, which triggered a response from fighter jets coordinated by the air command center.

Fighter aircraft from both countries were scrambled to execute key tasks including interception, visual identification, escorting the intruder, handover between air forces, and forcing the aircraft to land at a designated airbase.

The Blue Bridge exercise is an annual joint training operation between the air forces of Bulgaria and Romania, designed to enhance coordination and operational cooperation in cross-border airspace surveillance and air policing missions, the Ministry further noted.

In a recent television interview, Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov stated that Bulgaria has taken steps to step up surveillance in the northeastern airspace, adding that a maneuver of forces and assets is already underway following a decision by the Chief of Defence.