„This morning the two helicopters are working in the area of the village of Voden. Also on the ground are 60 people from the units in Bezmer and Kabile. They work there with technology“, he pointed out.
The acting Minister of Defense also indicated that the situation in Greece is being monitored with caution, and the Ministry of Defense is ready to activate the module in Blagoevgrad if assistance is requested.
“Our possibilities are not limitless, but there is not a single case of help being requested and denied. We have participated in extinguishing all fires so far and we will continue to do so, General Zapryanov also said.
He recalled that at the Security Council in a Council of Ministers, which was also attended by the leaders of the political forces, the creation of a special unit for extinguishing fires (similar to HEMS for air ambulance) was discussed.
“It is a good project, but it requires time and resources. In this situation we find ourselves in at the moment, the urgent alternative for a caretaker minister – like me, is to try to deliver two more sets of equipment to existing helicopters that can be included in firefighting,”, he specified.
General Zapryanov also explained that one helicopter can deliver 2 tons of water with one scoop. When two helicopters are operating, that's 4-5 tons of water. And if there are four on the ground, this significantly increases the efficiency in extinguishing fires.
The official minister also commented on the staffing of the Air Force. He clarified that what the Ministry of Defense is doing as a matter of urgency fits in with what President Rumen Radev made as a comment during the weekends.
„We have programs according to which we prepare personnel at our Higher Air Force School. On Friday, we will graduate another batch of pilots. I cannot say that we are in a crisis with the training of personnel. The bigger problem is in detaining people”, he specified.
The official minister of defense believes that after the salary increase from the beginning of 2025, it will be an incentive for people to stay in the ranks of the army.
„At the moment, the number of retirees and those who start working in the army are equal, but we have not yet reached the trend of more starting than more leaving,” he pointed out.
General Zapryanov also indicated that by the end of 2025, all eight F-16 fighter jets will arrive in Bulgaria. “It creates problems here – to hurry with the completion of the infrastructure, but I hope we will manage”, he explained.
He also commented on the aid to Ukraine, saying that for the last package we received 60 million euros in compensation. The funds are directed towards the modernization of our army. The equipment that Bulgaria sends is assessed by residual value and it is declared to the EC, added the acting Minister of Defense.