Bulgaria is looking to hire fighter jets for combat duty as MiG-29s can no longer be repaired ad they are too old.
Chief of the General Staff of the Bulgarian Army, Admiral Emil Eftimov said Bulgaria the NATO’s member’s preferred choice was Lockheed Martin F-16s, in an radio interview with the Bulgarian National Radio on Oct. 16.
Bulgaria is currently waiting for the first delivery of eight F-16 fighter jets from the U.S. scheduled to arrive between 2024-2026. Bulgarian pilots are already trains to fly the F-16, Bulgarianmilitary.com reported.
Admiral Eftimov said Sofia has written to unnamed partner countries asking to lease “excess” F-16 fighter jets from their air forces.
Bulgaria currently operates two types of combat aircraft – MiG-29 fighters [12 units] and Su-25 attack aircraft [13 units].
BulgarianMilitary.com said Bulgaria provided through third parties its Su-25 to Ukraine, delivered in parts, according to Spanish sources. However, there is no confirmation that Bulgaria has supplied weapons , including Su-25 attack fighters to Ukraine.
The Pentagon in April said Ukraine has Su-25s provided “by a foreign country,” declining to name the donor country.
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