Bulgaria, Romania, Spain sign air policing deal

The Bulgarian, Romanian and Spanish air forces have signed a trilateral technical agreement on the conduct of NATO cross-border air policing operations, the Bulgarian Defence Ministry said.

The agreement is based on a 2021 accord between the governments of Bulgaria and Romania and enables fighter aircraft from a third country, in this case Spain, to take part in cross-border air policing operations, the ministry said, CE Report quotes BTA.

Within NATO's Integrated Air and Missile Defence System (NATINAMDS), Spanish forces assigned to the mission will be able to carry out air policing tasks in Romanian airspace, where they are currently deployed, as well as in Bulgarian airspace when required.

Joint air policing missions with other NATO member states are part of the alliance's mechanisms for ensuring the security of the airspace of countries on its Eastern flank. They contribute to deeper allied cooperation in air and missile defence and strengthen collective defence capabilities.

In 2022, the Bulgarian and Spanish air forces also carried out a joint mission to protect Bulgarian airspace.

Until its new F-16 Block 70 fighter jets achieve full operational capability, Bulgaria will continue to use its MiG-29 aircraft to safeguard its airspace and meet its allied commitments, including the standing NATO Air Policing mission, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said at the end of July.

Earlier in July, the Defence Ministry told BTA that it had sent inquiries to several countries regarding the availability of aircraft and spare parts. Stoyanov later said the government was seeking MiG-29 aircraft solely for spare parts. Letters had also been sent to the Pentagon and to Sweden regarding the possible acquisition of used F-16 and Gripen fighter jets, although he added that he did not expect Bulgaria to receive such aircraft.

Photo: Chat GPT