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

Bulgarian Air Force intercept trainer aircraft with transponder shut off and make it land

| updated on 7/14/22 5:28 PM
Photo: BGNES

On July 13, the Air Force intercepted a small Cessna-150 aircraft, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense has reported. After locating the aircraft flying without permission over the town of Svishtov, MiG-29 jets escorted it to an airport near Pleven.

It was later found out that it was a civil aviation training flight, but the plane did not have its transponder on. The pilot of the plane, Valery Iliev, an instructor from a private school for pilots, described the case as an "annoying mistake", BNR reporters informed.

The Bulgarian MiG-29 fighter jets have been raised in the sky on a signal from the NATO command in Torrejón, the outgoing Minister of Defense Dragomir Zakov announced at a briefing. He pointed out that apparently the actions of the plane were perceived as a potential risk and described the pilot's behavior as irresponsible for national security, especially in the current situation.


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

Tunnel boring for Sofia’s metro line 3 expansion starts

The official start of the work of the “Vitosha” tunnel boring machine for the expansion of Line 3 of the capital's metro to the "Slatina" district is on February 6. The machine will depart from the metro station at Tsarigradsko Shose..

published on 2/6/25 7:55 AM

A peak in Rila now bears the name of Everest hero Lyudmil Yankov

The fourth highest peak in Rila, previously known as the Nameless Summit, will now bear the name of mountaineer Lyudmil Yankov, in memory of the late Bulgarian mountaineer and hero of the Bulgarian expedition to Everest in 1984 . This change is made..

published on 2/6/25 6:10 AM

Temperatures remain unchanged – below zero in the morning, higher during the day

On Thursday , the lowest temperatures will be between minus 6 and minus 1°C; in Sofia - around minus 4°C. Cloudiness will continue to decrease. The wind will be moderate from the north-northeast. In places in the eastern regions of..

published on 2/5/25 6:55 PM