Fuerza Aérea Búlgara
The Bulgarian Air Force (Военновъздушни сили), which traces itself to a balloon section of 20 April 1906 and flew one of Europe’s first combat sorties over Edirne in October 1912, was banned in 1919, rebuilt for a war over Sofia in 1943–1944, grew into a Warsaw Pact force of hundreds of MiGs, and in 2026 is caught between eight new F-16 Block 70s it cannot yet put on alert and a shrinking handful of MiG-29s it cannot easily keep flying.
The Bulgarian Air Force story: balloons over Edirne, the defence of Sofia and the slow arrival of the F-16
1906–1918: balloons, Edirne and a Fokker over Sofia
Bulgarian military flying started with balloons. The army formed an aeronautical section on 20 April 1906, and in 1912 Lieutenants Yordan Kazandzhiev and Vasil Zlatarov built the balloon Sofia-1. In the First Balkan War Kazandzhiev went up to 600 metres over Edirne on 15 October 1912, and the next day a Bulgarian Albatros flew what the Ministry of Defence calls the first combat mission with aircraft participation, “the birthday of the military aviation of Bulgaria”. Wikipedia, summarising Bulgarian historians, counts 70 combat sorties including 11 bombing raids in that war. Bulgaria joined the Central Powers on 4 October 1915 with one aeroplane squadron of five aircraft. On 30 September 1916 Captain Marko Parvanov, flying a Fokker E.III, forced down a French Farman F.40 that had bombed Sofia — the museum at Krumovo records it as the first enemy aircraft shot down by a Bulgarian pilot. The service was small, reliant on German aircraft, and by 1918 had about ten serviceable machines.
1919–1941: banned, hidden and rebuilt
The Treaty of Neuilly of 27 November 1919 banned Bulgarian military aviation for twenty years. Wikipedia, citing a Bulgarian study, says at least 70 aircraft and 110 engines were destroyed at Bozhurishte in 1920, while a few were hidden from the Allied inspectors. Flying survived under civilian cover; the air force was formally re-established as an Air Army on 28 July 1934 and received battle standards from Tsar Boris III on 27 June 1937. German goodwill then filled the hangars: in 1938–1939 Bulgaria received captured Czechoslovak types, including 78 Avia B-534 biplane fighters, 32 Avia B-71 bombers and 62 Letov Š-328s, as well as Polish PZL designs and, from 1940, Messerschmitt Bf 109Es. When Bulgaria signed the Tripartite Pact on 1 March 1941 its modern fighter force was tiny; Wikipedia counts 18 Bf 109Es among 91 front-line machines at one point. The rebuilding was quick, but it tied the service to one supplier.
1943–1945: defending Sofia, then fighting Germany
The air war reached Bulgaria on 1 August 1943, when B-24s returning from the Ploieşti raid were intercepted by Bf 109s from Karlovo and Avia B-534s from Sofia; four Bulgarian pilots, among them Stoyan Stoyanov, scored their first claims, though only two B-24s are recorded as crashing in Bulgaria. From 14 November 1943 American and British bombers attacked Sofia repeatedly, culminating on 30 March 1944 when about 450 heavy bombers destroyed some 3,575 buildings. On 20 December 1943 Lieutenant Dimitar Spisarevski rammed a B-24 with his Bf 109G-2 and was killed. The defenders, flying Bf 109Gs and Dewoitine D.520s, were heavily outnumbered, and the totals are disputed: sources give between 60 and 185 Allied aircraft shot down, for between 19 and 23 Bulgarian pilots killed. After the Soviet invasion and the coup of 9 September 1944, the same air force turned on Germany, flying at least 1,200 and, by the Bulgarian count, 4,424 sorties in Yugoslavia and Hungary before combat ended on 2 December 1944.
1945–1989: a Warsaw Pact air force
The 1947 peace treaty capped the air force at 90 aircraft, but Soviet deliveries soon overwhelmed that ceiling. Il-2s, Il-10s and Tu-2s came first; in April 1951 30 Yak-23s reached Graf Ignatievo, and MiG-15s followed from September 1951, then MiG-17s in 1955, 40 MiG-19S in 1957 and MiG-21s from 1963. On 27 July 1955 two MiG-15s shot down El Al Flight 402, a Lockheed Constellation that had strayed into Bulgarian airspace, killing all 58 on board; Bulgaria first blamed the airliner, then apologised, said its pilots had been “too hasty” and agreed to compensate the families. In 1961 the service became the combined Air Defence and Air Force (PVO i VVS). By the 1980s Bulgarian Wikipedia counts about 226 MiG-21s, 90 MiG-23s and a handful of MiG-25s received over time; 40 Su-25s and about 21 Su-22s arrived in 1988, and the first MiG-29s in 1989. It was a large, Soviet-shaped force built for a war that never came.
1989–2019: cuts, NATO and the MiG-29 problem
After 1989 the force shrank to about 226 aircraft and the MiG-25s were grounded in 1991. It took its present name in 1992, swapped regiments for air bases in 1994 and, from 1998 to 2003, closed Gabrovnitsa, Balchik, Uzundzhovo, Shtraklevo, Stara Zagora, Dobrich, Ravnets, Cheshnegirovo and Dobroslavtsi. The MiG-23s went in 2003 and the Su-22s in 2004, the year Bulgaria joined NATO. Western types came slowly: 12 AS532 Cougars from a troubled 2005 Eurocopter contract, three C-27J Spartans from 2007. The fighter fleet was the weak point. The last MiG-21s retired on 18 December 2015, leaving a small number of MiG-29s dependent on Russian parts and engines; in 2017 the defence minister admitted pilots flew about 40 hours a year, and Italian Eurofighters helped police Bulgarian airspace that summer. Engine overhauls moved to Poland after a contract Parliament ratified in 2015, but in 2018 the government still paid Russia’s RSK MiG to overhaul eight MiG-29s, and sent Su-25s to Belarus in 2019.
2019–2026: the F-16 arrives, slowly
In December 2018 the government chose the F-16 over new Gripens and used Eurofighters; Parliament approved talks on 16 January 2019, the US approved eight F-16 Block 70s on 3 June 2019, and President Rumen Radev’s veto was overridden that July. Eight more followed in 2022. The first jet, handed over at Greenville on 31 January 2025, landed at Graf Ignatievo on 2 April 2025, then sat grounded by a system fault amid political claims of sabotage until it flew in Bulgarian airspace on 28 May. The eighth arrived on 16 December 2025. Yet in May 2026 the commander, Major General Nikolai Rusev, said the F-16s would not go on combat duty in 2026, and in August Lockheed Martin warned the second batch could slip to the second quarter of 2030. MiG-29s still stand alert at a cost of 86.4 million leva in 2026, Bulgaria has asked Poland and Hungary for more of them, and allies — Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, Romania and Türkiye — share the watch.
The Bulgarian Air Force in numbers
Servicio
- Nombre nativo
- Военновъздушни силиThe name used on the air force’s own site, af.armf.bg. The full form used by Bulgarian Wikipedia is Военновъздушни сили на Република България (Air Force of the Republic of Bulgaria); the present name dates from 1992
- Fundado
- 20 April 1906The date the army’s aeronautical (balloon) section was created. The Ministry of Defence dates a balloon team to 1903 and treats 16 October 1912, the first combat flight, as the birthday of Bulgarian military aviation. The air force was formally re-established as an Air Army on 28 July 1934 after the Neuilly ban
- Parte de
- Bulgarian Armed ForcesUnder the Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov, and the Ministry of Defence
- Sede
- SofiaAir Force Command, 34 Eduard Totleben Boulevard, Sofia 1606
- Comandante
- Maj. Gen. Nikolai RusevNamed as commander in 2025 and 2026 reports; appointment date not confirmed
- Ministro de Defensa
- Dimitar StoyanovIn office in July and August 2026; Atanas Zapryanov, minister during the F-16 deliveries of 2025, was caretaker minister again in March 2026
Fortaleza
- Personal
- About 6,500–8,500Bulgarian Wikipedia gives about 6,500 and English Wikipedia 8,500 active personnel; neither figure was found on an official page, and the air force includes air defence missile and radar troops
- Aviones de combate
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- F-16C/D Block 70 — 8 delivered (2025), 8 more on order
- MiG-29A/UB — 12–14 on strength
- Su-25K/UBK — about 7–14 (disputed)
The F-16s were not yet on combat duty in 2026; the number of combat-ready MiG-29s is classified, and during the hijack alert of 30 June 2026 (an Airbus squawking 7500) only one of the two alert MiG-29s launched, according to former defence minister Tagarev (Sofia Globe, 27 July 2026)
- Transporte
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- C-27J Spartan — 3
- L-410UVP-E3 — 2
- PC-12NG — 1
- An-30 survey aircraft — 1
The Spartans fly with the 16th Air Base at Sofia-Vrazhdebna; counts of the smaller types are from Wikipedia
- Helicópteros
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- AS532AL Cougar — 12 delivered
- Mi-24V — 4 active, about 6 stored
- Mi-17 — 2
- Bell 206B-3 — 6
All at the 24th Air Base, Krumovo, which keeps a 24-hour search and rescue watch and flies firefighting missions
- Zapatos de deporte
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- L-39ZA Albatros — about 6
- PC-9M — 6
- Zlín Z-242L — 4
- Cabri G2 — 2
Counts from Wikipedia; an L-39 crash at Graf Ignatievo on 13 September 2024 killed two aviators
- Presupuesto de defensa
- $2.34 billion (2024), 2.05% of GDPEnglish Wikipedia’s figure. On 10 June 2026 the government adopted a plan to reach 5% of GDP by 2035, at least 3.5% of it core defence. Keeping the MiG-29s and Su-25s flying was budgeted at 114 million leva for 2026
Infraestructura
- bases aéreas
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- Graf Ignatievo — 3rd Air Base, F-16 and MiG-29
- Bezmer — 22nd Air Base, Su-25
- Krumovo — 24th Air Base, helicopters
- Sofia-Vrazhdebna — 16th Air Base, transport
- Dolna Mitropoliya — 12th Air Base, training
The air force’s own structure page lists these five air bases
- Bases aéreas cerradas
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- Gabrovnitsa, Balchik, Uzundzhovo, Shtraklevo — 1998
- Stara Zagora — 2000
- Dobrich, Ravnets, Cheshnegirovo — 2001
- Dobroslavtsi — 2003
Closed in the post-Cold War cuts of 1998–2003, per English and Bulgarian Wikipedia
- Alerta de reacción rápida
- Two MiG-29s at Graf IgnatievoMiG-29s from the 3rd Air Base scramble for Bulgarian and NATO air policing; the F-16s were not expected to take over in 2026
- Cross-border air policing
- Romania, Greece, Türkiye, SpainMemoranda with Romania (2021) and Greece; Türkiye’s signed in Ankara in February 2024 and ratified on 8 August 2024; a trilateral agreement with Romania and Spain on 6 August 2026
- F-16 infrastructure
- 49 projects at Graf IgnatievoThe new runway opened on 15 July 2024; more than half of the 49 projects were complete by December 2025
- Aviation museum
- Krumovo, opened 21 September 1991Opened with 45 aircraft and helicopters; a museum since 1994 and a branch of the National Military History Museum since 2005
How the Bulgarian Air Force is organised
One command in Sofia over five numbered air bases; the air force also includes the air defence missile and radar troops. Every fighter is at Graf Ignatievo, the Su-25s are at Bezmer, the helicopters at Krumovo, transport at Sofia-Vrazhdebna and pilot training at Dolna Mitropoliya. Allied fighters share the air policing watch under agreements with Romania, Greece, Türkiye and Spain.
Comando de la Fuerza Aérea
In Sofia, under the Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov. Maj. Gen. Nikolai Rusev is named as commander in reports of 2025 and 2026; the date of his appointment has not been confirmed on an official page.
3rd Air Base
Every Bulgarian fighter: the 1st and 2nd Fighter Squadrons with the last MiG-29s, which hold the two-aircraft air policing alert, and eight F-16 Block 70s delivered in 2025 that were not on combat duty in 2026. The rebuilt runway opened on 15 July 2024.
22nd Air Base
The Su-25K/UBK attack jets, 7 to 14 by disputed counts. Its NATO-funded 3,000-metre runway opened in 2016, and under the 2006 defence cooperation agreement Bezmer is a facility for joint use by US forces.
24th Air Base
AS532AL Cougars, Mi-24Vs, Mi-17s and Bell 206s on the west side of Plovdiv Airport, with a 24-hour search and rescue watch. The base is the successor of the 44th Helicopter Regiment of 1961, Bulgaria’s first helicopter unit.
16th Air Base
The 1/16 Transport Squadron with three C-27J Spartans, L-410 Turbolets, a PC-12 and the An-30 survey aircraft, at Sofia Airport.
12th Air Base
PC-9M, L-39ZA and Z-242L trainers and the aviation faculty of the Vasil Levski National Military University. The base first flew on 26 March 1942.
What the Bulgarian Air Force flies today
Cada tipo está sujeto a cargos, vinculado a su página en el Libro de las Bestias, cuando existe. Las cifras corresponden a aeronaves registradas, no a aeronaves disponibles en un día determinado.
| Tipo | Role | En servicio | Desde | Unidades | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70 Fighting FalconEn servicio | luchador polivalente | 8 | 2025 | Eight delivered between 2 April and 16 December 2025: six single-seat F-16Cs and two two-seat F-16Ds. Eight more are on order. | ||
| Mikoyan MiG-29A (9.12A) and MiG-29UBEn servicio | caza de superioridad aérea | 1989 | 12–14 on strength. English Wikipedia’s inventory gives 12; its MiG-29 operators page gives 11 MiG-29s and 3 MiG-29UBs in 2025. Bulgarian Wikipedia counts 22 received in all.
MásThe number combat-ready is classified. |
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| Sukhoi Su-25K y Su-25UBKEn servicio | Apoyo aéreo cercano | 1988 | 7–14, disputed. The Sofia Globe gave 14 on strength with about eight serviceable in 2019–2022; English Wikipedia lists 7.
MásOryx lists 14 Bulgarian Su-25s bought by a NATO member and passed to Ukraine in April 2022, a claim not confirmed by Bulgaria; Bulgarian Su-25s were still flying in September 2022 and August 2026. |
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| Leonardo (Alenia) C-27J EspartanoEn servicio | Transporte táctico | 3 | 2007 | Five ordered in 2006, cut to three in 2010. | ||
| Let L-410UVP-E3 TurboletEn servicio | Transporte ligero | 2 | Dos por Wikipedia. | |||
| Pilatus PC-12NGEn servicio | Transporte de utilidad | 1 | Uno. | |||
| Antonov An-30En servicio | Aerial survey (Open Skies) | 1 | Uno. | |||
| Airbus Helicopters (Eurocopter) AS532AL CougarEn servicio | Transport and combat search and rescue | 12 | 12 delivered under a January 2005 contract, the last in November 2010; Wikipedia splits them into eight transport and four CSAR aircraft.
MásIn November 2024 the minister said only part of the fleet was flyable and aimed for ten serviceable. |
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| Mil Mi-24VEn servicio | Helicóptero de ataque | 4 | 1979 | Four active and about six stored per English Wikipedia; Bulgarian Wikipedia counts 44 received in all. | ||
| Mil Mi-17 (Mi-8 family)En servicio | Helicóptero de transporte | 2 | Two per English Wikipedia. | |||
| Bell 206B-3 JetRangerEn servicio | Helicóptero ligero utilitario y de entrenamiento | 6 | Six, four of them used for training, per Wikipedia. | |||
| Aero L-39ZA AlbatrosEn servicio | Entrenador a reacción y ataque ligero | 6 | About six per English Wikipedia, which also mentions an overhaul contract with Aero Vodochody. | |||
| Pilatus PC-9MEn servicio | Entrenador básico | 6 | Six per English Wikipedia. | |||
| Zlín Z-242LEn servicio | Entrenador principal | 4 | Four per English Wikipedia. | |||
| Guimbal Cabri G2En servicio | Helicóptero de entrenamiento | 2 | Two per English Wikipedia. |
Bajo pedido
| Tipo | Ordenado | Primera entrega | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70 Fighting FalconBajo pedido | 8 | Second batch, approved by Parliament in November 2022 with spares and weapons; planned for the end of 2027, but on 14 August 2026 Lockheed Martin told the ministry it could slip to the second quarter of 2030.
MásBulgaria has also asked SACEUR and the US for a squadron of second-hand F-16s. |
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| AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM and AIM-9X Block II missilesBajo pedido | 125 | Proposed US sale published on 1 June 2026, estimated at $957 million: 125 AIM-120C-8s, five guidance sections and four AIM-9X Block IIs. A notification, not yet a contract. | ||
| Thales Ground Master 400 radarBajo pedido | 7 | 2027 | Contract of 19 June 2025 worth 195 million euro; three radars within 24 months, four more 13 months later, complete by 2029. First delivery year inferred from the 24-month schedule. |
Every type the Bulgarian Air Force has retired
23 types, from the Albatros and Blériot XXI to the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (F-13, M, MF, bis, UM). Las cifras máximas corresponden a las aeronaves puestas en servicio durante toda su vida útil, no al número total de efectivos de la flota en una fecha concreta.
| Tipo | Role | Cima | Servido | Reemplazado por | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (F-13, M, MF, bis, UM) | Combatiente | 1963–2015 | MiG-29 and F-16 | About 226 in all per Bulgarian Wikipedia, including 36 MiG-21bis received in 1983 for one regiment; the full total was not checked against a primary source. | ||
| Sukhoi Su-22M4 and Su-22UM3 | Cazabombarderos y aviones de reconocimiento | 1988–2004 | 21–23: English Wikipedia gives 21 Su-22M4/UM-3, Bulgarian Wikipedia 23. | |||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 | Caza y cazabombardero | 90 | 90 per Bulgarian Wikipedia. | |||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 | Reconocimiento | 4 | Four per Bulgarian Wikipedia. | |||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19S, P and PM | Combatiente | 1957–1978 | MiG-21MF | About 90 per Bulgarian Wikipedia; 40 MiG-19S arrived in September 1957 and 12 MiG-19Ps in May 1959. | ||
| Junkers Ju 87 R-2 and D-5 | bombardero en picado | 1943–1945 | Il-2 | At least 32 D-5s, received January to May 1944, plus earlier R-2s. | ||
| Fokker E.III | Combatiente | 1916–1918 | ||||
| LFG Roland D.II | Combatiente | 6 | 1917–1918 | Six delivered in June 1917. | ||
| Albatros and Blériot XXI | Primer avión militar | 1912–1913 | Five aircraft were ordered in 1912; exact numbers flown in the Balkan Wars not confirmed. | |||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F and PF | Combatiente | 94 | 1955– | 94 per Bulgarian Wikipedia. | ||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 and MiG-15bis | Combatiente | 78 | 1951– | 78 per Bulgarian Wikipedia. | ||
| Yakovlev Yak-23 and Yak-17UTI | Combatiente | 34 | 1951– | MiG-15 | 30 Yak-23 and 4 Yak-17U two-seaters. | |
| Ilyushin Il-28 | Bombardeo | |||||
| Ilyushin Il-2 | Ataque terrestre | 1945– | ||||
| Ilyushin Il-10 | Ataque terrestre | |||||
| Tupolev Tu-2 | Bombardeo | |||||
| Aero L-29 Delfín | Entrenador a reacción | L-39 | Bulgarian Wikipedia’s table gives 12, which looks low; the figure is UNVERIFIED. | |||
| Mil Mi-4 and Mi-1 | Transport and liaison helicopters | 57 | 1961– | 49 Mi-4 and 8 Mi-1 by the end of 1963. | ||
| Messerschmitt Bf 109E, G-2 and G-6 | Combatiente | 1940– | ||||
| Dewoitine D.520 | Combatiente | 1943– | The Krumovo museum records 23 D.520s engaged on 10 January 1944. | |||
| Avia B-534 | caza biplano | 78 | 1939– | 78 ex-Czechoslovak aircraft received from Germany. | ||
| Letov Š-328 | Biplano de reconocimiento | 62 | 1939– | 62 ex-Czechoslovak aircraft. | ||
| Avia B-71 (licence-built Tupolev SB) | Bombardeo | 32 | 1939– | 32 ex-Czechoslovak aircraft. |
Where the Bulgarian Air Force flies from
Los pines negros son bases activas, los pines huecos son los que están cerrados. Nine airfields closed in the cuts of 1998–2003, from Gabrovnitsa, Balchik, Uzundzhovo and Shtraklevo in 1998 to Dobroslavtsi in 2003; several were demolished, and others became civil airports. Las entradas sin datos de aeródromo publicados no tienen identificador.
| Base | OACI | Estado | Pista | Unidades y aeronaves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BezmerYambol Province | Activo | 12/303.000 metros |
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| Dolna MitropoliyaPleven Province | LBPL | Activo |
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| Graf IgnatievoProvincia de Plovdiv | LBPG | Activo |
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| KrumovoProvincia de Plovdiv | LBPD | Activo | ||
| VrazhdebnaSofia AirportSofia City Province | LBSF | Activo |
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| DobroslavtsiSofia City Province | LBSD | Cerrado en 2003 |
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| CheshnegirovoProvincia de Plovdiv | LBPS | Cerrado en 2001 | ||
| DobrichDobrich Province | Cerrado en 2001 | |||
| RavnetsBurgas Province | LBBR | Cerrado en 2001 | ||
| Stara ZagoraStara Zagora Province | LBSZ | Cerrado en 2000 |
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| BalchikDobrich Province | LBWB | Cerrado en 1998. |
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| GabrovnitsaMontana Province | LBMG | Cerrado en 1998. |
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| ShtraklevoRuseRuse Province | LBRS | Cerrado en 1998. |
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| UzundzhovoHaskovo Province | Cerrado en 1998. |
Ninguna base aérea coincide con esa búsqueda.
Who is stationed where in the Bulgarian Air Force
Unidades voladoras por base, unidades actuales primero. Bulgaria’s regiments became numbered air bases in 1994, and the Cold War regiments appear under the airfields they flew from; the number of the new F-16 squadron has not been confirmed and is not given. Cuando las fuentes discrepan sobre una fecha o una unidad de medida, la entrada así lo indica.
- 1er Escuadrón de CazaEscuadrón de cazas · activo
- MiG-29A y MiG-29UB
- Segundo Escuadrón de CazaEscuadrón de cazas · activo
- MiG-29A y MiG-29UB
- Elemento F-16 Block 70, 3.ª Base AéreaFighter unit (conversion) · active
- F-16C/D Block 70 (8 unidades entregadas antes de diciembre de 2025)
- Elemento L-39ZA, 3.ª Base AéreaEntrenador a reacción / elemento de ataque ligero · activo
- L-39ZA Albatros
- 19.º Regimiento Aéreo de Caza1951–1994
- Yak-23, MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21
- 22nd Air Base (Su-25 squadron)Attack aviation · active
- Su-25K y Su-25UBK
- 1/16 Transport SquadronEscuadrón de transporte · activo
- C-27J Spartan (3), L-410UVP-E Turbolet, PC-12NG, An-30
- 12th Air Base training squadronsTraining squadrons · active
- PC-9M, L-39ZA Albatros, Z-242L
No se encontró ninguna unidad que coincida con esa búsqueda.
Bulgarian Air Force milestones, 1914 to today
20 April: the army forms an aeronautical (balloon) section, the date the air force counts as its founding.
13 August: Simeon Petrov flies a Blériot XXI. 15–16 October: balloon observation and the first combat flight by an Albatros near Edirne in the First Balkan War.
4 October: Bulgaria enters the First World War with one aeroplane squadron of five aircraft.
30 September: Captain Marko Parvanov forces down a French Farman F.40 over Sofia, the first enemy aircraft shot down by a Bulgarian pilot.
27 November: the Treaty of Neuilly bans Bulgarian military aviation; aircraft are destroyed at Bozhurishte in 1920.
28 July: the air force is officially re-established as an Air Army; Tsar Boris III presents battle standards on 27 June 1937.
1 August: first claims against US B-24s returning from Ploieşti. 20 December: Dimitar Spisarevski rams a B-24 over Sofia and is killed.
30 March: the heaviest raid on Sofia. From 9 September the air force fights Germany; combat ends on 2 December.
April: first jets, 30 Yak-23s, at Graf Ignatievo; MiG-15s follow from September.
27 July: two MiG-15s shoot down El Al Flight 402 over Bulgaria, killing all 58 on board.
The 44th Helicopter Regiment, the first helicopter unit, is formed; the service becomes the Air Defence and Air Force (PVO i VVS).
Su-25s and Su-22s arrive; the first MiG-29s follow in 1989.
The regiments become air bases; the 3rd Fighter Air Base is formed at Graf Ignatievo on 18 August.
Bulgaria joins NATO; the last Su-22s are withdrawn after the MiG-23s went in 2003.
18 December: the last MiG-21s are retired.
3 June: the US approves eight F-16 Block 70s; the deal survives a presidential veto in July. Su-25s go to Belarus for overhaul.
2 April: the first F-16 lands at Graf Ignatievo; the eighth arrives on 16 December and the batch is celebrated on 18 December.
10 June: plan to reach 5% of GDP on defence by 2035. July: MiG-29s sought from Poland and Hungary. 14 August: second F-16 batch may slip to 2030.
Todas las guerras en las que ha luchado la Fuerza Aérea Búlgara
Salidas y pérdidas donde consta en el registro, y un espacio en blanco honesto donde no.
- Las guerras de los Balcanes 1912–1913 Reconnaissance, bombing and balloon observation for the Bulgarian army
- La Primera Guerra Mundial 1915–1918 Reconnaissance and air defence alongside German units on the Macedonian front
- La defensa aérea de Bulgaria 1943–1944 Intercepted US and British bombing raids on Sofia and other cities
- La campaña contra Alemania 1944 Ground attack, reconnaissance and transport in support of the Bulgarian army, now fighting on the Soviet side
- El derribo del vuelo 402 de El Al 1955 Two MiG-15s intercepted and shot down an Israeli airliner that had strayed into Bulgarian airspace
Bulgarian Air Force news from Afterburner
Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the Bulgarian Air Force and the aircraft it flies. Esta lista se actualiza automáticamente: las nuevas historias de Afterburner aparecen aquí de forma automática.
Everything people ask about the Bulgarian Air Force
What is the Bulgarian Air Force called in Bulgarian?
What fighter jets does Bulgaria fly in 2026?
How many F-16s does Bulgaria have?
Why did Bulgaria choose the F-16?
Why was Bulgaria’s first F-16 grounded?
Why does Bulgaria still fly the MiG-29?
Did Bulgaria give its Su-25s to Ukraine?
When was the Bulgarian Air Force founded?
Did Bulgaria fly the first combat aircraft mission in Europe?
Did Bulgarian pilots fight American bombers in the Second World War?
Read the aircraft the Bulgarian Air Force flew
Cada tipo tiene una página en el Libro de las Bestias, primero en servicio y luego por el año en que abandonó la flota.
Todos los datos, verificados
- Bulgarian Air Force: official website (af.armf.bg)Service name Военновъздушни сили; links to air bases and history.
- Fuerza Aérea Búlgara: EstructuraBases aéreas 3.ª, 12.ª, 16.ª, 22.ª y 24.ª; unidades de defensa aérea y radar; cuartel general en el bulevar Eduard Totleben 34, Sofía.
- Fuerza Aérea Búlgara: 3.ª Base Aérea Graf IgnatievoAeródromo desde 1940; 19.º Regimiento de Caza 1951; 3.ª Base Aérea de Caza 18 de agosto de 1994; MiG-29.
- Bulgarian Air Force: 24th Air Base KrumovoSuccessor of the 44th Helicopter Regiment of 1961; 49 Mi-4 and 8 Mi-1 by 1963; Cougar, Bell 206, Mi-17, Mi-24; 24-hour SAR.
- Fuerza Aérea Búlgara: historia – Primera Guerra MundialEntrada en la guerra el 4 de octubre de 1915; Farman sobre Sofía el 30 de septiembre de 1916 (Parvanov y Wagner).
- Ministerio de Defensa: Fuerza Aérea – historia y misionesEquipo de globos aerostáticos 1903; destacamento aeronáutico 1906; 16 de octubre de 1912, primera misión de combate, aniversario de la aviación militar.
- Ministry of Defence of Bulgaria: English home page (July 2026)Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov; Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov (news of 2–8 July 2026).
- Aeroflight: Historia narrativa de la Fuerza Aérea BúlgaraHistorial cronológico 1906–2000: Neuilly, restablecimiento en 1934, 1943–1944, límite máximo establecido por el tratado en 1947, cambio de nombre en 1992, sistema base en 1994.
- Museum of Aviation, Krumovo: About the museumOpened 21 September 1991 with 45 aircraft; museum from 1994; branch of the National Military History Museum since 2005.
- Museo de Aviación de Krumovo: calendario de aviación militar15 de octubre de 1912, observación en globo; 30 de septiembre de 1916, victoria de Parvanov; 8 de julio de 1917; 10 de enero de 1944.
- Oryx: Ukraine’s arms basket – how Bulgaria arms Ukraine (2023)Lists 14 Su-25s bought from Bulgaria by a NATO member and delivered to Ukraine, April 2022 (unconfirmed by Bulgaria).
- Oryx: Modernisation on a budget – Bulgaria’s arms acquisitions (2023)16 F-16V Block 70 to replace MiG-29 and Su-25.
- FlightGlobal: Bulgaria retires last MiG-21 fighters (29 December 2015)Ceremony on 18 December 2015; two MiG-21bis and one MiG-21UM.
- Novinite: Bulgaria gets last Cougar in troubled Eurocopter deal (19 November 2010)12 Cougars and 6 Panthers; January 2005 contract of 358 million euro.
- The Sofia Globe: Lockheed Martin hands over Bulgarian Air Force’s first F-16 (1 February 2025)Handover at Greenville on 31 January 2025; pilot training.
- Sofia Globe: El primer F-16 de la Fuerza Aérea Búlgara llega a Graf Ignatievo (2 de abril de 2025)Primer contrato en 2019, segundo en 2022.
- Sofia Globe: Comisión parlamentaria celebrará audiencia sobre el F-16 en medio de acusaciones de sabotaje (2 de mayo de 2025)Primer F-16 inmovilizado por un fallo del sistema; comandante: Mayor General Nikolai Rusev.
- Sofia Globe: Un F-16 realiza su primer vuelo en el espacio aéreo de Bulgaria (29 de mayo de 2025)El avión con número de cola 301 realizó su primer vuelo el 28 de mayo de 2025; su aceptación se ha completado.
- The Sofia Globe: Second F-16 arrives at Graf Ignatievo (8 June 2025)Tail 313; Admiral Emil Eftimov; Maj. Gen. Nikolai Rusev.
- Sofia Globe: Dos F-16 más, con lo que el total entregado asciende a ocho (16 de diciembre de 2025)Fechas de entrega de los ocho; segundo lote para finales de 2027; unos 5.000 millones de levas para 16.
- The Sofia Globe: Official ceremony for completion of delivery of first eight F-16s (18 December 2025)Six single-seat and two two-seat; 49 infrastructure projects.
- Sofia Globe: Se inaugura una nueva pista en la base aérea búlgara en preparación para los F-16 (15 de julio de 2024)Pista de aterrizaje de Graf Ignatievo; aviones MiG-29 regresan del aeropuerto de Plovdiv; 49 proyectos.
- The Sofia Globe: Bulgarian Air Force commander – one squadron of fighter jets is not enough (5 May 2026)Maj. Gen. Nikolai Rusev: no F-16 combat duty in 2026; six pilots trained.
- The Sofia Globe: Lockheed Martin says second F-16s may be delayed until Q2 2030 (15 August 2026)Minister Dimitar Stoyanov; meeting of 14 August 2026.
- The Sofia Globe: Bulgaria seeking to buy MiG-29s (28 July 2026)Requests to Poland and Hungary; 44 million euro for MiG-29 operation in 2026.
- The Sofia Globe: Defence Ministry exploring options for second-hand fighter jets (28 July 2026)Options including used aircraft; F-16 readiness expected 2028.
- The Sofia Globe: El exministro de Defensa habla sobre los F-16 y el envejecimiento del equipamiento (27 de julio de 2026)Dos MiG-29 en servicio, uno despegó; número de aviones listos para el combate clasificado.
- The Sofia Globe: Operating costs of MiG-29s and Su-25s in 2026 to be 114M leva (12 November 2025)86.4 million leva MiG-29, 27.6 million leva Su-25.
- The Sofia Globe: Government approves 183M leva projects to overhaul MiG-29, Su-25 (28 November 2018)Eight MiG-29s by RSK MiG for 81 million leva; Su-25 overhaul.
- The Sofia Globe: Bulgaria sends first of eight Su-25 aircraft to Belarus for overhaul (29 August 2019)558th Aircraft Repair Plant, Baranovichi; 14 Su-25s on strength.
- The Sofia Globe: Bulgarian Air Force pilot ejects from Su-25 (28 September 2022)Crash at Bezmer; about eight serviceable of 14.
- The Sofia Globe: Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 crashes into Black Sea during exercise (9 June 2021)Shabla 21 exercise; contact lost at 00:45.
- Sofia Globe: El Ministerio de Defensa confirma la muerte del piloto (10 de junio de 2021)Mayor Valentin Terziev, 47 años.
- The Sofia Globe: Sofia and Warsaw set for talks on Poland maintaining MiG-29s (22 March 2022)Russian maintenance dispute; shift to Poland.
- The Sofia Globe: 10M euro deal with Poland on overhaul of six more MiG-29 engines (7 November 2024)WZL-2; earlier six-engine contract August 2023.
- The Sofia Globe: Parliament ratifies deal with Poland on repair of MiG-29s (27 November 2015)Start of Polish MiG-29 support.
- The Sofia Globe: Bulgaria marks 30th anniversary of its MiG-29s (28 June 2019)MiG-29s since 1989; Mi-24 40 years; Bell 206 anniversary.
- The Sofia Globe: PM on fighter jet acquisition – F-16 much better aircraft (14 December 2018)Offers of F-16, F/A-18, Gripen and used Eurofighter; 1.8 billion leva; 2017 Gripen report.
- Sofia Globe: La Fuerza Aérea Italiana colaborará en la vigilancia del espacio aéreo búlgaro durante el verano de 2017 (23 de febrero de 2017)Los pilotos búlgaros vuelan Eurofighters italianos unas 40 horas al año.
- Sofia Globe: Cuatro aviones Eurofighter españoles llegan para colaborar en la vigilancia aérea en Bulgaria (11 de febrero de 2022)Graf Ignatievo, del 11 de febrero al 31 de marzo de 2022, 130 personas.
- Sofia Globe: Aviones F-35 de la Fuerza Aérea Holandesa llegan para ayudar a proteger el espacio aéreo búlgaro (6 de abril de 2022)Cuatro F-35, del 6 de abril al 31 de mayo de 2022.
- Sofia Globe: Aviones F-35 de la USAF realizaron una misión de largo alcance a Bulgaria (1 de junio de 2022)De Spangdahlem a Graf Ignatievo.
- Sofia Globe: Diputados búlgaros aprueban acuerdo de vigilancia aérea con Turquía (8 de agosto de 2024)Firmado en Ankara en febrero de 2024; memorandos similares con Rumania y Grecia.
- Sofia Globe: Las fuerzas aéreas de Rumania, Bulgaria y España firman un acuerdo de vigilancia aérea (6 de agosto de 2026)Acuerdo transfronterizo trilateral en el marco de la NATINAMDS.
- The Sofia Globe: Joint Bulgarian-Greek training flights (12 March 2026)Two Hellenic F-16s authorised by caretaker minister Atanas Zapryanov.
- The Sofia Globe: US intends to sell Bulgaria missiles for F-16s for $957 million (1 June 2026)125 AIM-120C-8, 4 AIM-9X Block II.
- The Sofia Globe: Bulgarian Air Force F-16s in exercise at Sofia Airport (10 March 2026)Low approaches at Vassil Levski Airport.
- The Sofia Globe: 195M euro deal on French 3D radars (22 November 2025)Seven Thales GM400 radars; contract 19 June 2025; complete by 2029.
- The Sofia Globe: Defence Ministry report shows bleak picture of state of Bulgarian Air Force (12 November 2024)L-39 crash 13 September 2024, two killed; shortages across fleets; Cougar plans.
- The Sofia Globe: National plan for defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 (10 June 2026)At least 3.5% core defence.
- Sofia Globe: Primer Ministro Radev: un dron explotó en el espacio aéreo búlgaro (8 de agosto de 2026)Cerca del antiguo puesto de control de Kardam; aviones Cougar y Su-25 desplegados desde el 31 de julio de 2026.
- The Sofia Globe: Un caza de la Fuerza Aérea se apresura a escoltar un Airbus civil (30 de junio de 2026)Un MiG-29 de la 3ª Base Aérea fue entregado a los F-16 turcos a las 13:54.
- The Sofia Globe: Hemus 2026 – helicopters, F-16s to fly over Plovdiv (1 June 2026)Mi-17 and Cougar of the 24th Air Base.
- The Sofia Globe: Defence Minister suspends procedure for overhaul of An-30 (12 February 2019)An-30 overhaul procurement history.
- Bulgarian Air Force: 22nd Air Base BezmerFormed 5 October 1951; moved to Bezmer 5 May 1955; first Su-25s 15 September 1986; renamings 1993, 2008, 2021.
- Bulgarian Air Force: 16th Air Base VrazhdebnaFormed 1948; 16th Transport Aviation Regiment 1950; at Dobroslavtsi 1964–1993; air base 1994; type history.
- Bulgarian Air Force: 12th Air Base Dolna MitropoliyaFirst flights 26 March 1942; PC-9M, L-39ZA, Z-242L; cadet training.
- Sofia Globe: Dos aviadores confirmados muertos en accidente aéreo en la base aérea Graf Ignatievo de Bulgaria (13 de septiembre de 2024)Un L-39ZA se estrelló durante un ensayo de exhibición aérea; el mayor Petko Dimitrov y el teniente Ventsislav fallecieron; el espectáculo del 14 de septiembre fue cancelado.
- The Sofia Globe: Bulgaria inaugurates modernised Bezmer air force base (27 March 2016)62 million leva, close to 55 million from NATO; runway 2,500 to 3,000 m, 60 m wide; 2006 US agreement.
- The Sofia Globe: Sofia tells Tehran: Bulgaria not a party to the conflict (26 July 2026)KC-135 tankers at Bezmer approved by parliament 22 July 2026; Iranian warning; Bulgarian position.
- The Sofia Globe: Bulgaria’s Air Force is hosting 10-day international flight exercise (28 September 2026)ETAR-S 26-3, 28 September–8 October 2026, Plovdiv, Bezmer, Dolna Mitropoliya.
- Sofia Globe: Los aviones de la Fuerza Aérea Búlgara se trasladan al aeropuerto de Plovdiv (21 de septiembre de 2022)Aviones MiG-29 y L-39ZA parten de Graf Ignatievo con destino al aeropuerto de Plovdiv durante la reconstrucción de los F-16.
- The Sofia Globe: European Spartan Exercise 2025 involves low-altitude flights over Bulgaria (23 September 2025)23 September–3 October 2025; Bezmer and Cheshnegirovo hubs; Bezmer commander Colonel Milen Dimitrov.
- The Sofia Globe: Bulgaria’s Parliament approves hosting of US tanker aircraft for operations in Middle East (22 July 2026)136 for, 13 against, 2 abstentions; up to eight KC-135s and 250 personnel; Mitov quote.
- The Sofia Globe: PM Radev to ask Parliament to approve hosting US aircraft in support of operations in Middle East (20 July 2026)US embassy request under the 2006 agreement, which designates Bezmer a facility for joint use; tankers at Sofia Airport February–June 2026.
- Base de datos de aeropuertos OurAirports (dominio público)
Cifras verificadas el 29/09/2026. Las páginas de Orden de Batalla se regeneran a partir de un único conjunto de datos; si algún número aquí no coincide con el de una página del Libro de las Bestias, esta página es la más reciente de las dos.
Photographs: Photo: Toshonenov / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jenna Bond / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Srđan Popović / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Vislupus / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: U.S. Army 126PAOC by Sgt. Robert Douglas / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Biser Todorov / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Acroterion / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ericka Woolever / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: KGG1951 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo (Z-242L in other markings shown): Samson Ng . D201@EAL / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: ZLEA / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: U.S. Embassy photo by Army Maj. Dana Hampton / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Tourbillon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0) · Photo (MiG-15 in other markings shown): Tourbillon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0) · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo (German Ju 87 shown): Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0) · Photo (Fokker E.III reproduction shown): Chris Light / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)