EUR 58 million allocated for maintenance of Soviet-Era MiG-29 aircraft

The Ministry of Defense is allocating EUR 17.5 million for the overhaul of engines of MiG-29 aircraft. The public procurement has been published on the ministry’s website. The repair covers 10 engines, which amounts to approximately EUR 1.8 million per engine excluding VAT. The public procurement for the comprehensive overhaul amounts to EUR 58 million. The deadline for completion is up to 9 months. The engines must have a renewed service life of at least 100 flight hours for one year.

• The engines of the MiG-29 fighter jets will be repaired by the state-owned company ''Terem''

• Bulgaria's MiG-29 jets will continue to fly even after the delivery of F-16s

The last overhaul of MiG-29 aircraft engines was carried out in 2023 by the Polish company WZL, at a time when there was a risk that Bulgaria could face an inability to protect its own airspace. After the start of the war, Russia halted the supply of spare parts to all “unfriendly states” supporting Ukraine.

Bulgaria has 15 MiG-29s and 8 F-16s. The F-16s are expected to assume combat duty in 2028.

Edited by Ivo Ivanov

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov