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https://www.rappler.com/world/regions/e ... y-concerns
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https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/37598 ... -concerns/
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http://www.dw.com/en/bulgarian-air-forc ... a-41094377
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http://www.aeropress-bg.com/news/bulgar ... -са-спрениBulgarian air force pilots refuse to fly outdated MiG-29 jets
Some Bulgarian air force pilots will boycott training on Wednesday,
citing concerns related to the safety of MiG-29 aircraft.
Bulgaria relies on the Soviet-built aircraft to meet its obligations as a NATO member.
Bulgaria's deputy defense minister confirmed on Tuesday
that some military pilots will not take part in planned training this week.
"Some of the pilots from Graf Ignatievo air base will not perform training flights because of insecurity,"
said Deputy Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov.
The pilots have blamed safety concerns
related to aging Soviet-built MiG-29 aircraft.
But Zapryanov insisted that the jets were safe and were being used to as part of NATO's air-policing mission.
According to Zapryanov, the pilots had further cited poor preparedness due to lack of flying hours as the reason to boycott training.
Outdated fleet
Just seven of Bulgarian air force's 16 MiG-29s aircraft are in good flying condition - a reason why the Balkan country launched a €770 million ($905 million) tender to buy eight new fighter jets.
But the plan to buy Sweden's Gripen aircraft earlier this year was sidetracked by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's conservative government.
Borisov's cabinet is now expected to launch a new tender.
In the meantime, it plans to refurbish its fleet of 16 MiG-29s and some 20 Su-25 bombers.
The defense ministry has received six used MiG-29 engines, as well as four new ones in a deal with Russia but their use have been delayed by documentation-related issues.
Bulgaria, a NATO member since 2004, is obligated to maintain at least one squadron of 12 jets in good flying condition. With more than half the jets in the existing fleet in bad condition, Bulgarian parliament has authorized NATO to help protect the country's air space.
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Flights to the Graf Ignatievo airbase were suspended early in the morning today, October 24, 2017, due to the fact that the flight crew massively reported that they felt psychologically unsuitable for flights. The battle watch continues to be worn. This is what AERO learned from its own sources.
Today, regular aerobic training sessions had to be held, which was fired with MiG-29 fighters, but the flight crew massively reported they felt insecure flying. As a result, air traffic plans for today were canceled.
Regulatory documents state that if the airplane does not feel prepared and confident to safely carry out the assigned flying task, it may be stopped by flights. This was the case this morning in Graf Ignatievo.
The mission of the air polling mission within NATO's integrated Air Navigation System continues to continue without interruption.
The Department of Defense has stated for bTV that the pilots have stopped flights in disagreement with the state of the Air Force.
For the same television, Deputy Defense Minister Atanas Zakryanov said that "the uncertainty is related to insufficient training due to insufficient hours."
In recent months, our fighter aviation has brought several "slaps" that have worsened its already-bad condition. At the moment, the Bulgarian MiG-29s are left with a miserable resource, which further overtakes the pilots, who are now flying far below NATO requirements.
Last week it became clear that eight of the 10 RD-33 engines from Russia were not put into service because of documentary problems with them. The MO have promised to fix this problem quickly.
AERO sources point out that the problems with the RD-33 engines are even deeper. One of the bikes repaired in Poland has already given up the socket management system. The engine was under warranty. Refusal was also in one of the two repaired RD-33s in Russia, which were delivered this spring. The engine has been eclipsed and a warranty has also been made.
In addition, there is no lubricant in the airbase again. Thus, even if the eight engines from Russia are put into operation, there will be no oil for their reconciliation and flights with them. In May - June 2017, it was practically a flight stoppage due to lack of oil. Then Defense Minister Krassimir Karakachanov pledged solving the logistical problems and more on the base.
From the site of the Ministry of Defense it is evident that on October 17, 2017, a public procurement for the supply of fuel-lubricants, including aviation oil bearing the name MC-8rk, was launched. The deadline for submitting bids is 22 November 2017, which means that the procedure is unlikely to be completed by the end of the year, and the materials can be expected next year.
Chronic difficulties with MiG-29 logistics are only half of the problem. Only a month ago, the National Assembly virtually restarted the process of selecting a new fighter, effectively sending the MiG-29 fighter jumpers somewhere far into the future. This was after the adoption of a highly controversial report by the interim parliamentary group, which had to investigate the procedure for choosing a new fighter.
Air Force Commander Major General Tsanko Stoykov in several interviews that he gave around the BBC's October 16 holiday directly said that the Air Force had demotivation among officers and even a sense of insult began after the massive political commentary on the selecting a new fighter.
"The politicization of the debate seems to disregard the true state of the aviation technique and the level of military training in the troops of the Air Force." Another controversy, which is another important issue, is the opposition between the types of armed forces - who is - important and priority - that should not happen, as well as the opposition of different social groups - between military and civilians, when it comes to health, education, social sphere, and this should not happen, " said the gene eral Stoykov in an interview published last Friday in the Bulgarian Army newspaper.