Força 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
Serviço
- Nome 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
- Fundada
- 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 da Defesa
- 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
Força
- Pessoal
- 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
- Aeronaves 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
- Treinadores
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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
- Orçamento de defesa
- $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
Infraestrutura
- 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 fechadas
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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 reação 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 da Força 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 de cobrança, com link para sua página no Livro das Feras, quando houver. Os números indicam as aeronaves registradas, não as aeronaves disponíveis em um determinado dia.
| Tipo | Papel | Em serviço | Desde | Unidades | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70 Fighting FalconEm serviço | Caça multifuncional | 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-29UBEm serviço | caça de superioridade 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.
MaisThe number combat-ready is classified. |
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| Sukhoi Su-25K e Su-25UBKEm serviço | Close air support | 1988 | 7–14, disputed. The Sofia Globe gave 14 on strength with about eight serviceable in 2019–2022; English Wikipedia lists 7.
MaisOryx 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 EspartanoEm serviço | Transporte tático | 3 | 2007 | Five ordered in 2006, cut to three in 2010. | ||
| Let L-410UVP-E3 TurboletEm serviço | Transporte leve | 2 | Duas, segundo a Wikipédia. | |||
| Pilatus PC-12NGEm serviço | Transporte utilitário | 1 | Um. | |||
| Antonov An-30Em serviço | Aerial survey (Open Skies) | 1 | Um. | |||
| Airbus Helicopters (Eurocopter) AS532AL CougarEm serviço | 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.
MaisIn November 2024 the minister said only part of the fleet was flyable and aimed for ten serviceable. |
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| Mil Mi-24VEm serviço | 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)Em serviço | helicóptero de transporte | 2 | Two per English Wikipedia. | |||
| Bell 206B-3 JetRangerEm serviço | helicóptero leve utilitário e de treinamento | 6 | Six, four of them used for training, per Wikipedia. | |||
| Aero L-39ZA AlbatrosEm serviço | Jato de treinamento e ataque leve | 6 | About six per English Wikipedia, which also mentions an overhaul contract with Aero Vodochody. | |||
| Pilatus PC-9MEm serviço | Instrutor básico | 6 | Six per English Wikipedia. | |||
| Zlín Z-242LEm serviço | Treinador principal | 4 | Four per English Wikipedia. | |||
| Guimbal Cabri G2Em serviço | Helicóptero de treinamento | 2 | Two per English Wikipedia. |
Sob encomenda
| Tipo | Encomendado | Primeira entrega | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70 Fighting FalconSob encomenda | 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.
MaisBulgaria 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 missilesSob encomenda | 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 radarSob encomenda | 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). Os números máximos representam as aeronaves incorporadas à frota ao longo de toda a sua vida útil, e não a força total da frota em uma data específica.
| Tipo | Papel | Pico | Servido | Substituído por | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (F-13, M, MF, bis, UM) | Lutador | 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 | Caça-bombardeiro e reconhecimento | 1988–2004 | 21–23: English Wikipedia gives 21 Su-22M4/UM-3, Bulgarian Wikipedia 23. | |||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 | Caça e caça-bombardeiro | 90 | 90 per Bulgarian Wikipedia. | |||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 | Reconhecimento | 4 | Four per Bulgarian Wikipedia. | |||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19S, P and PM | Lutador | 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 | bombardeiro de mergulho | 1943–1945 | Il-2 | At least 32 D-5s, received January to May 1944, plus earlier R-2s. | ||
| Fokker E.III | Lutador | 1916–1918 | ||||
| LFG Roland D.II | Lutador | 6 | 1917–1918 | Six delivered in June 1917. | ||
| Albatros and Blériot XXI | Primeiro avião militar | 1912–1913 | Five aircraft were ordered in 1912; exact numbers flown in the Balkan Wars not confirmed. | |||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F and PF | Lutador | 94 | 1955– | 94 per Bulgarian Wikipedia. | ||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 and MiG-15bis | Lutador | 78 | 1951– | 78 per Bulgarian Wikipedia. | ||
| Yakovlev Yak-23 and Yak-17UTI | Lutador | 34 | 1951– | MiG-15 | 30 Yak-23 and 4 Yak-17U two-seaters. | |
| Ilyushin Il-28 | Bombardeiro | |||||
| Ilyushin Il-2 | Ataque terrestre | 1945– | ||||
| Ilyushin Il-10 | Ataque terrestre | |||||
| Tupolev Tu-2 | Bombardeiro | |||||
| Aero L-29 Delfín | Treinador a jato | 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 | Lutador | 1940– | ||||
| Dewoitine D.520 | Lutador | 1943– | The Krumovo museum records 23 D.520s engaged on 10 January 1944. | |||
| Avia B-534 | Caça biplano | 78 | 1939– | 78 ex-Czechoslovak aircraft received from Germany. | ||
| Letov Š-328 | Biplano de reconhecimento | 62 | 1939– | 62 ex-Czechoslovak aircraft. | ||
| Avia B-71 (licence-built Tupolev SB) | Bombardeiro | 32 | 1939– | 32 ex-Czechoslovak aircraft. |
Where the Bulgarian Air Force flies from
Pinos pretos são bases ativas, pinos ocos são as bases que se fecharam. 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. Entradas sem dados de aeródromo publicados não possuem PIN.
| Base | OACI | Status | Pista | Unidades e aeronaves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BezmerProvíncia de Yambol | Ativo | 12/303.000 m |
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| Dolna MitropoliyaPleven Province | LBPL | Ativo |
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| Conde IgnatievoProvíncia de Plovdiv | LBPG | Ativo |
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| KrumovoProvíncia de Plovdiv | LBPD | Ativo | ||
| VrazhdebnaSofia AirportSofia City Province | LBSF | Ativo |
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| DobroslavtsiSofia City Province | LBSD | Fechado em 2003 |
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| CheshnegirovoProvíncia de Plovdiv | LBPS | Fechado em 2001 | ||
| DobrichDobrich Province | Fechado em 2001 | |||
| RavnetsBurgas Province | LBBR | Fechado em 2001 | ||
| Stara ZagoraStara Zagora Province | LBSZ | Fechado em 2000 |
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| BalchikDobrich Province | LBWB | Fechado em 1998 |
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| GabrovnitsaMontana Province | LBMG | Fechado em 1998 |
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| ShtraklevoRuseRuse Province | LBRS | Fechado em 1998 |
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| UzundzhovoHaskovo Province | Fechado em 1998 |
Nenhuma base aérea corresponde a essa busca.
Who is stationed where in the Bulgarian Air Force
Unidades voadoras por base, unidades atuais primeiro. 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. Quando as fontes divergem quanto a uma data ou unidade, isso é indicado na entrada.
- 1º Esquadrão de CaçaEsquadrão de caça · ativo
- MiG-29A e MiG-29UB
- 2º Esquadrão de CaçaEsquadrão de caça · ativo
- MiG-29A e MiG-29UB
- Elemento F-16 Block 70, 3ª Base AéreaFighter unit (conversion) · active
- F-16C/D Bloco 70 (8 entregues até dezembro de 2025)
- Elemento L-39ZA, 3ª Base AéreaTreinador a jato / elemento de ataque leve · ativo
- L-39ZA Albatroz
- 19º Regimento Aéreo de Caça1951–1994
- Yak-23, MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21
- 22nd Air Base (Su-25 squadron)Attack aviation · active
- Su-25K e Su-25UBK
- 1/16 Transport SquadronEsquadrão de transporte · ativo
- C-27J Spartan (3), L-410UVP-E Turbolet, PC-12NG, An-30
- 12th Air Base training squadronsTraining squadrons · active
- PC-9M, L-39ZA Albatroz, Z-242L
Nenhuma unidade corresponde a essa pesquisa.
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 as guerras em que a Força Aérea Búlgara lutou.
Missões e perdas onde constam nos registros, e um espaço em branco honesto onde não constam.
- As Guerras dos Balcãs 1912–1913 Reconnaissance, bombing and balloon observation for the Bulgarian army
- A Primeira Guerra Mundial 1915–1918 Reconnaissance and air defence alongside German units on the Macedonian front
- A defesa aérea da Bulgária 1943–1944 Intercepted US and British bombing raids on Sofia and other cities
- A campanha contra a Alemanha 1944 Ground attack, reconnaissance and transport in support of the Bulgarian army, now fighting on the Soviet side
- O abate do voo 402 da 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 é atualizada automaticamente — novas histórias do Afterburner aparecem aqui.
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 com uma página no Livro das Feras, primeiro em serviço e depois pelo ano em que deixou a frota.
Todos os fatos foram verificados.
- Bulgarian Air Force: official website (af.armf.bg)Service name Военновъздушни сили; links to air bases and history.
- Força Aérea Búlgara: Estrutura3ª, 12ª, 16ª, 22ª e 24ª Bases Aéreas; unidades de defesa aérea e radar; Quartel-General no Boulevard Eduard Totleben, 34, Sófia.
- Força Aérea Búlgara: 3ª Base Aérea Graf IgnatievoAeródromo desde 1940; 19º Regimento de Caça, 1951; 3ª Base Aérea de Caça, 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.
- Força Aérea Búlgara: história – Primeira Guerra MundialEntrada na guerra em 4 de outubro de 1915; Farman sobre Sofia, 30 de setembro de 1916 (Parvanov e Wagner).
- Ministério da Defesa: Força Aérea – história e missõesEquipe de balões em 1903; destacamento aeronáutico em 1906; 16 de outubro de 1912, primeira missão de combate, aniversário da aviação 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: História narrativa da Força Aérea BúlgaraHistórico datado de 1906 a 2000: Neuilly, restabelecimento em 1934, limite do tratado de 1943-1944, mudança de nome em 1992, sistema de base em 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.
- Museu da Aviação, Krumovo: calendário da aviação militar15 de outubro de 1912: observação com balão; 30 de setembro de 1916: vitória de Parvanov; 8 de julho de 1917; 10 de janeiro 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.
- The Sofia Globe: Primeiro F-16 da Força Aérea Búlgara chega a Graf Ignatievo (2 de abril de 2025)Primeiro contrato em 2019, segundo em 2022.
- The Sofia Globe: Comissão parlamentar realizará audiência sobre o F-16 em meio a alegações de sabotagem (2 de maio de 2025)Primeiro F-16 impedido de voar devido a uma falha no sistema; comandante: Major-General Nikolai Rusev.
- The Sofia Globe: F-16 realiza voo inaugural no espaço aéreo da Bulgária (29 de maio de 2025)A aeronave de cauda 301 realizou seu primeiro voo em 28 de maio de 2025; processo de aceitação concluído.
- The Sofia Globe: Second F-16 arrives at Graf Ignatievo (8 June 2025)Tail 313; Admiral Emil Eftimov; Maj. Gen. Nikolai Rusev.
- The Sofia Globe: Mais dois F-16, elevando o total entregue para oito (16 de dezembro de 2025)Datas de entrega dos oito lotes; segundo lote até o final de 2027; cerca de 5 bilhões de lev para 16 unidades.
- 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.
- The Sofia Globe: Nova pista é inaugurada em base aérea búlgara em preparação para os F-16 (15 de julho de 2024)Pista de pouso Graf Ignatievo; retorno dos MiG-29 do Aeroporto de Plovdiv; 49 projetos.
- 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: Ex-Ministro da Defesa fala sobre os F-16 e o equipamento obsoleto (27 de julho de 2026)Dois MiG-29 em serviço, um decolado; número de aeronaves prontas para combate classificado.
- 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.
- The Sofia Globe: Ministério da Defesa confirma morte de piloto (10 de junho de 2021)Major Valentin Terziev, 47.
- 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.
- The Sofia Globe: Força Aérea Italiana auxiliará no policiamento aéreo búlgaro no verão de 2017 (23 de fevereiro de 2017)Eurofighters italianos; cerca de 40 horas de voo por ano para pilotos búlgaros.
- The Sofia Globe: Quatro Eurofighters espanhóis chegam para auxiliar o policiamento aéreo na Bulgária (11 de fevereiro de 2022)Graf Ignatievo, 11 de fevereiro a 31 de março de 2022, 130 funcionários.
- The Sofia Globe: Caças F-35 da Força Aérea Holandesa chegam para ajudar a proteger o espaço aéreo búlgaro (6 de abril de 2022)Quatro caças F-35, de 6 de abril a 31 de maio de 2022.
- The Sofia Globe: Caças F-35 da Força Aérea dos EUA realizaram missão de longo alcance na Bulgária (1 de junho de 2022)De Spangdahlem a Graf Ignatievo.
- The Sofia Globe: Deputados búlgaros aprovam acordo de policiamento aéreo com a Turquia (8 de agosto de 2024)Assinado em Ancara em fevereiro de 2024; memorandos semelhantes com a Romênia e a Grécia.
- The Sofia Globe: Forças aéreas romenas, búlgaras e espanholas assinam acordo de policiamento aéreo (6 de agosto de 2026)Acordo trilateral transfronteiriço no âmbito do 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.
- The Sofia Globe: Primeiro-ministro Radev – drone explode no espaço aéreo búlgaro (8 de agosto de 2026)Próximo ao antigo posto de controle de Kardam; aeronaves Cougar e Su-25 estão posicionadas desde 31 de julho de 2026.
- The Sofia Globe: Caça da Força Aérea é acionado para escoltar Airbus civil (30 de junho de 2026)MiG-29 da 3ª Base Aérea às 13h54; entregue aos F-16 turcos.
- 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.
- The Sofia Globe: Dois aviadores confirmados mortos em acidente de jato na base aérea de Graf Ignatievo, na Bulgária (13 de setembro de 2024)Acidente com aeronave L-39ZA durante ensaio para exibição aérea; Major Petko Dimitrov e Tenente Ventsislav faleceram; apresentação de 14 de setembro cancelada.
- 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.
- The Sofia Globe: Aeronaves da Força Aérea Búlgara são transferidas para o Aeroporto de Plovdiv (21 de setembro de 2022)Caças MiG-29 e L-39ZA deixam a Base Aérea de Graf Ignatievo rumo ao Aeroporto de Plovdiv durante a reconstrução dos 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.
- Banco de dados de aeroportos OurAirports (domínio público)
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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)