The Ministry of Defense concluded a contract with the Polish state-owned company Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr 2 S.A. for overhaul of six RD-33 engines, ser. 2, for MiG-29 aircraft to restore their inter-repair resource and inter-repair service life. The contract is published in the public procurement register.
The contract states that the maximum period for carrying out the repair of each engine will not exceed nine months, counted from the date of delivery of the respective engine for repair. The total price for the implementation of the subject of the contract is EUR 10,020,000 excluding VAT. In case of delayed or inaccurate performance, the Polish company owes a penalty of 0.1% for each day overdue of the value of the delayed service.
The Ministry of Defense announced the public order for the repair of six engines for MiG-29 aircraft at the beginning of April this year.
In mid-August 2023, the Ministry of Defense re-signed a six-engine repair contract for the MiG-29 with the Polish state-owned company. At the time, the ministry indicated that the purpose of awarding the public contract was to ensure the airworthiness of the MiG-29 aircraft until achieving operational capabilities to carry combat duty with the new F-16 Block 70 combat platform. The value of the contract, signed last year, is EUR 9,552,000.00 excluding VAT.
On October 23 of this year the Ministry of Defense announced a successful test flight of the first Bulgarian fighter F-16 Block 70. It was carried out on October 22, 2024 at the production base of the manufacturing company "Lockheed Martin" in Greenville, South Carolina, USA. Bulgaria should receive 16 F-16 fighters.
Next year we expect to enter service with our new F-16 combat platform,
said Acting Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov earlier this year. At the end of June, Captain Alexander Velinov became the first Bulgarian pilot to successfully complete his F-16 group pilot training in Tucson, Arizona, USA. According to the contract, by the end of next year Bulgaria is expected to have eight F-16 aircraft and 14 trained pilots, Minister Atanas Zapryanov said in April this year.
Bulgaria has been guarding its skies with the MiG-29 since 1989. Our country acquired 22 of the most modern front-line fighter at the time.
Initially, the fighters were at the "Ravnets" airbase.
After the year 2000, they were sent to "Graf Ignatievo" airport. 35 MiG-29 reliably guard the airspace of Bulgaria.
This has also been happening since we were accepted into NATO 20 years ago, the Air Force recalls. In recent years, military reports have reported difficulties in maintaining the MiGs.
Mainly because after the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia stopped the support.
The desire is to maintain the aircraft at least until 2030, when the military is expected to have full compatibility with the new F-16s. The first new machines will arrive next year. By then, the problems after the renovation of "Graf Ignatievo" airport must be solved.
The previous engine repair order was signed in August 2023 with the Polish state-owned company Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr 2 S.A.
We remind you that our modern political and judicial history has one case and accusation - in November 2016, the Minister of Defense Nikolay Nenchev was accused of non-fulfillment of the contract with RSK "MiG" for delivery and repair of our MiG-29 fighters.
The charge was for endangering national security, because instead of the Russian manufacturing company, Nenchev asked a Polish company to repair our fighters.
The case ended definitively with an acquittal at the last instance.