Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

The MiG-29s are not going to be grounded: Defence Minister

Minister of Defence Georgi Panayotov (R) at Graf Ignatievo
Photo: mod.bg

Minister of Defence in the caretaker government Georgi Panayotov denied rumours that the MiG-29 fighter aircraft are going to be grounded after the incident in the Black Sea in which a pilot was killed.

During a meeting with the personnel at Graf Ignatievo airbase, attended by Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov, Minister Panayotov stated that the fighters are within their life cycle, that they have a maintenance contract and that their exploitation will continue. On their part the pilots asked for more clarity regarding the number of training flight hours.

The search for the black box of the MiG-29 which crashed into the Black Sea has not been resumed yet due to bad weather conditions. 



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

State standard for drone pilots is being created

The Ministry of Education will create a state educational standard for "Unmanned Aerial Vehicles". The regulation has been published for public discussion. Students with completed primary education and persons aged 16 who can take state matriculation..

published on 8/29/25 7:29 PM

Weather forecast: Sunny spells and rain over the weekend

The night will be clear with a light wind from the East-Southeast. Saturday will be sunny. In the afternoon cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds will increase from the West. In the evening and during the night there will be intense bursts of rain..

published on 8/29/25 6:40 PM

Sofia welcomes President of the European Council on September 4

President of the European Council Antonio Costa is coming to Bulgaria on September 4, where he will meet with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, the Council said in a statement released today, BTA reported. Earlier that day, Costa will also visit Romania..

published on 8/29/25 6:33 PM