2024-08-01 13:10:48
Turkish fighter jets to enter Bulgarian airspace to chase enemy planes and vice versa. This agreement was signed by Sofia and Ankara. It was approved on Wednesday by the Council of Ministers. However, in order to make it a fact, there will be a vote in the parliament.
Similar air policing operations have been carried out for several years between the Bulgarian and Romanian and Greek air forces. The scheme envisages that during flights of enemy aircraft near the airspace of one of the countries, duty fighters from only one of the countries will be raised. This saves fuel and flight hours.
Bulgaria requested airspace protection because of the maintenance problems of our only MiG-29 fighters.
The contract that Bulgaria and Turkey will sign is not an agreement on joint protection of the sky, as we have with the USA and Italy (under it, the planes of foreign countries are based in our country). It will only apply to cross-border operations, i.e. pursuing an offending aircraft, Turkish fighter jets can enter over Bulgaria. The Turkish Air Force is the second largest in NATO with its nearly 700 fighter jets. The idea to sign such an agreement has been around since 2018, but so far it has never materialized.
The cabinet also decided on Wednesday that the National Security Service (NSO) will receive six buildings from the Evksinograd farm. They are no longer necessary for the Council of Ministers.