site.btaBulgaria Seeks MiG-29 Spare Parts as Defence Minister Says F-16s Are Not Yet Combat-Ready, Opposition Criticizes Decision

Bulgaria is seeking spare parts for its MiG-29 fighter aircraft and exploring options to acquire used F-16 or JAS 39 Gripen aircraft, Minister of Defence Dimitar Stoyanov said on Wednesday, drawing criticism from parliamentary groups.

The Defence Ministry said that it had sent inquiries to Poland, Hungary and several other countries about available MiG-29 aircraft and spare parts. Stoyanov said Bulgaria was interested in MiG-29s solely as a source of spare parts and did not intend to buy them for operational use or form another squadron.

“We have enough aircraft, but we need spare parts. That is all we want, nothing more. Letters have also been sent to the US Department of Defense and Sweden regarding used F-16 and JAS 39 Gripen aircraft,” Stoyanov said. He added that he did not expect Bulgaria to receive any such aircraft.

On July 24, Stoyanov said he had asked his Polish and Hungarian counterparts what their countries intended to do with their MiG-29 aircraft and whether Bulgaria could obtain spare parts from them. Defence Ministry experts would inspect any available parts and assess their suitability before a decision was made, he added.

At Wednesday’s meeting of the Defence Committee in Parliament, Stoyanov rejected claims that the F-16 aircraft already delivered to Bulgaria could perform combat duty. He said one of the main obstacles was aircrew training.

“Pilots need 160 hours of training, including 40 hours in a simulator and 120 flight hours,” Stoyanov said.

“If you multiply 120 flight hours by the number of aircraft and pilots, we will not be able to perform combat duty for another five years. We will therefore most likely lower our criteria again and fall below the threshold for safe aircrew training,” he added.

As for claims that Ukrainian pilots had learned to fly F-16s quickly, Stoyanov said F-16 aircraft had already been lost in Ukraine and that conditions in an active war zone were different. Bulgarian pilots would likewise fly without the necessary training under such circumstances, he added.

Parliamentary groups criticized Stoyanov’s comments.

Democratic Bulgaria (DB) criticized the possibility of Bulgaria acquiring MiG-29 aircraft. “Bulgaria should acquire modern NATO aircraft, not MiG-29s,” Democratic Bulgaria (DB) MP Ivaylo Mirchev told journalists in Parliament.

“At a time when Bulgaria should be rearming with Western and NATO equipment, it emerged that we had requested to buy Polish MiG-29s. This was initially denied by the Defence Ministry but confirmed on Tuesday,” Mirchev said. “We believe this is a harmful move and hope the Bulgarian government will respond appropriately.”

Mirchev described the possible acquisition of used F-16 and JAS 39 Gripen aircraft as a viable option. Aircraft should not simply be labelled “second-hand”; what mattered was whether they had remaining service life, he said. Bulgaria should not become a “graveyard for Soviet aircraft”, he added, noting that NATO countries had already moved away from the MiG-29.

The youth organization of Yes, Bulgaria, part of DB, parked an old Moskvich outside the Defence Ministry on Wednesday to protest against any acquisition of MiG-29 aircraft. Organization representative Todor Petrov said Stoyanov was taking unjustified steps and Bulgaria should not become a “scrapyard” for outdated Russian military equipment.

“Instead of turning Bulgaria into a Porsche, he is turning the country and the Bulgarian Armed Forces into a Moskvich,” Petrov said.

Continue the Change (CC) MP Radoslav Ribarski said Bulgaria should not focus on restoring old defence equipment.

“We support genuine modernization of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. This has been the objective for the past five years and has received unanimous support in Parliament. I hope the Defence Ministry does not stumble into such exotic ideas, because they will cost more money and may endanger Bulgarian service personnel,” Ribarski said.

GERB–UDF MP Hristo Gadzhev 

said Bulgaria’s MiG-29 fighter aircraft could remain in service until 2029, while its Su-25 attack aircraft were due to be retired in 2027.

“Soviet love never rusts, in this case, love for Soviet equipment,” Gadzhev said.

He argued that obtaining MiG-29 spare parts was not a problem. “For the past ten years, our aircraft have been serviced entirely in Poland, and we have encountered no problems,” he said.

Regarding the possible acquisition of used aircraft, Gadzhev said there was no need to travel to Warsaw because talks with Greece on acquiring used F-16 fighter aircraft could begin quickly if there was sufficient political will.