The first military flight in Europe was carried out by Bulgarian pilots – Radul Milkov and Prodan Tarakchiev. It was a reconnaissance flight on board the German Albatross over the besieged Edirne fortress.
It took place on 16 October, 1912, just days after the start of the first Balkan War, lasted 50 minutes and astounded the Ottoman army. The flight by the two pilots trained in Germany, France and Russia has gone down in the history of the Bulgarian air force. That is the reason why, in 1963, the Council of Ministers issued a decree declaring 16 October day of the Bulgaria’s air force.
The modernization of the Bulgarian air force is ongoing. Under contract with the American Lockheed Martin, Bulgaria purchased 8 F-16 Block 70 fighter aircraft for the sum of over 2 billion Leva.
The first 6 aircraft are to be delivered in this country in 2023. The remaining two will be used in USA for pilot and technical ground staff training up until 2024, after which they too will join the Bulgarian air force.
At the end of September the government announced it was planning to purchase another 8 aircraft to fully modernize Bulgaria’s air force.
Compiled by Yoan Kolev
Robert Joseph Miller, Bulgaria’s Honorary Consul in Nevada, was awarded the prestigious “Golden Laurel Branch” of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for his exceptional merits in maintaining the diplomatic relations between the US and Bulgaria. The award..
The cool autumn evenings give us a reason to immerse ourselves in the cosy atmosphere of restaurants in Sofia and try new flavours inspired by global culinary trends. Leading Italian travel platform praises Sofia in autumn..
At 04:00 Bulgarian time on October 26, 2025, we must turn our clocks back one hour. This means one more hour of sleep, but it does not eliminate the stress for the body as a result of the change in the biological schedule,..
Over 80% of Bulgarians are expected to start using artificial intelligence in the next three years , across all age groups. Today, it is almost..
Serbians around the world mark one year after Novi Sad tragedy On November 1, Serbians abroad will join the call of..
"We cannot escape from modern technologies, but we must think about how we can use artificial intelligence to improve the quality of..
+359 2 9336 661