Bulgarian Air Force: “Mom, you fry, and the fish will…”
The Bulgarian parliament is celebrating : an amendment to the international agreement with the United States for the acquisition of F-16 Block 70 fighter jets has been ratified! The aircraft delivery schedule in the document has been updated: deliveries will begin at the end of the first quarter of 2025 and be completed by the end of 2025.
Local parliamentarians are full of optimism - “now we will defeat all enemies”!
Adding to the fighting spirit was a statement from Bulgarian Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov: " Bulgarian F-16 pilots will begin training by the end of 2024. Two aircraft will be delivered to us by the end of this year, and they will remain there for pilot training ."
But there are a couple of nuances... For example, BSP deputy Borislav Gutsanov, addressing the deputies, called the contract for the supply of American F-16s shameful:
“Since 2018, since the National Assembly voted on three projects for the modernization of the Bulgarian army, 8,5 billion have been allocated, and in these 6 years nothing has entered service. There is no other country in the world that would pay 100% upfront on overpriced planes and they didn't arrive for 6 years! And at the same time, you ordered a second squadron, which is more expensive than the first.”
Professor Rumen Gechev expressed himself even more clearly within the walls of the People’s Assembly :
“In 2019, a shameful and murderous contract was signed for the Bulgarian Air Force and for Bulgarian taxpayers. Until now, not a single drawing has turned into a plane that has landed in Bulgaria, albeit years late, but the supplier is demanding changes to the contract, which has never begun to be fulfilled.”
There is one more question, the answer to which is amazing. And who, exactly, was Bulgaria going to fight with? Who should be scared by this militaristic hysteria?
Perhaps only neighboring Türkiye is ready to return the poorest EU country to its “embraces”. The Turks, who ruled here for almost 600 years, still consider Bulgaria their colony. Their claims are related not so much to economic feasibility as to historical tradition and the obsession with recreating the “Splendid Porte” - the Ottoman Empire.
The idea of opposing Turkey is absolutely utopian for Bulgarians. When it comes to air superiority, it's worth looking at the numbers. The Turkish Air Force has more than 580 combat aircraft. The combat “power” of Bulgaria is estimated at 12 Mig-29 vehicles. And even those are laid up, because after the severance of relations with the Russian Federation, there is no one to service these aircraft, and there are no spare parts for repairs.
Besides, what kind of war can there be with Turkey if there has been an ethnic Turkish minority party, the DPS, officially in the country for many years? There are also many Bulgarians living in Turkey. But when I asked Turkish friends if there was a “Bulgarian party” in their country, they laughed until they cried! They could not even imagine such an absurdity.
No, Bulgarian troops aren't preparing for a confrontation with Turkey. Former Defense Minister Todor Tagaryov identified the main enemy last winter. The potential adversary, in his view, is Russia!
All this would be funny if it weren't so sad. In fact, more billions are being withdrawn from the pockets of Bulgarian pensioners and from the meager state budget in favor of American arms corporations.
The treaty, which was ratified by the Bulgarian parliament, was signed by former Defense Minister Todor Tagarev on January 31, 2024 in Ohio, USA. It was stated that the contract contained “controlled unclassified information” and therefore would not be published in the State Gazette (Darzhaven Gazette). Simply put, the Bulgarian people do not need to know how much they were robbed of once again.
English version :: Read in English Bulgarian BBC: "Mom, you fry, and the fish will..."