LONDON - Due to rising service costs and instability in EU-Russia relations the Bulgarian government is negotiating a fresh maintenance contract for its MiG-29 Fulcrum fleet with Poland. These combat aircraft were acquired in 1988 during the Communist era and were overhauled upgraded to NATO standards by RAC MiG under a $48 million contract signed in March 2006. That support contract runs through September 2015, after which Bulgaria is looking to move on to a new support partner as the mushrooming of Russian aviation maintenance intermediaries has driven up servicing costs. Another factor in moving away from sourcing support contracts to Russia is tension between Moscow and the European Union due to Kremlin interference and promotion of instability in Ukraine.
Bulgaria's Ministry of Defense has long sought an acquisition of eight new or secondhand multirole combat aircraft that would, under ideal circumstances, later be supplemented by a second purchase of another eight-unit batch of fighters. Surplus F-16s from U.S. Air National Guard stocks or mothballed fighters from NATO-Europe allies would ostensibly fill this requirement when the government arrives at a decision time (one dictated by its financial position).
The Bulgarian MiG-29 fleet upgrade performed in 2006 extended the service life of these aircraft out to 2020. Another upgrade that would further extend the service life of the MiG-29s out to 2025-2030 remains under consideration.
You have 0 item(s) in your cart