New runway opened at Bulgarian air base in preparation for F-16s
A new runway was opened at Bulgaria’s Graf Ignatievo air base on July 15, as the country prepares to receive, in 2025, the first of the Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter aircraft that it is acquiring.
Caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov handed to the air base’s commander Brigadier General Nikolai Rusev an Act 16 document, which certifies the readiness of a structure for use.
“I wish you many years of accident-free use of the strip. As many successful take-offs as successful landings,” Zapryanov said, as quoted in a Defence Ministry statement.
Zapryanov said that 49 projects are being implemented at the air base.
He said that there was a chance to overcome the delays in four projects important for the deployment of the F-16s.
As part of the July 16 ceremony, Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 aircraft were rebased from Plovdiv Airport.
“The transfer of MiG-29 aircraft will significantly ease the work of the flight crew, increase quality and reduce risk,” Zapryanov said.
He said that the maintenance of the MiG-29 aircraft was difficult and emphasised that the people at the airbase were doing the impossible to maintain the airworthiness of the MiG-29s.
“We cannot afford to decommission the MiG-29 aircraft before we have the F-16 squadron,” he said.
According to the Defence Ministry, the basic infrastructure required for the operation and reception of the F-16 Block 70 fighter jets at the Third Air Base in Graf Ignatievo will be completed in 2025.
(Photos: Ministry of Defence)
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