News

**Galaxy**

A military MiG-29 aircraft has dropped into a river near Plovdiv in southern Bulgaria, media reports say. The two pilots reportedly catapulted and have already returned to the Graf Ignatievo Air Base. No deaths or injuries have been reported after the incident that took place between the villages of Tsarimir and Golyam Chardak. The aircraft was reportedly participating in joint Bulgarian-American flight training.

http://rt.com/news/line/2012-04-26/#id30123

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 88158 04-26-2012 07:14 PM

Mikoyan MiG-29

The Mikoyan MiG-29 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-29; NATO reporting name: "Fulcrum") is a fourth-generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other nations. The NATO name "Fulcrum" was sometimes unofficially used by Soviet pilots in service.[6]

The MiG-29, along with the Sukhoi Su-27, was developed to counter new American fighters such as the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, and the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.[7]
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan_MiG-29

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 88158 04-26-2012 11:42 PM

**The Comedian**

Splash 1!

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 92884 04-26-2012 11:49 PM

Quick recap for memories sake

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-772097

**Ghenghy**

Shot down by one of those new Iranian drones no doubt. chuckle

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 88158 04-27-2012 12:09 AM

MiG 29 Crash Wrecks Largest Bulgarian, US Air Force Training

The Bulgarian Air Force has terminated all of its flights as a result of Thursday's crash in which a Bulgarian MiG 29 fighter jet went down during joint drills with the US Air Force, Defense Minister Anyu Angelov announced.

Thus, Thursday's incident has ruined the Thracian Star 2012 military exercise, which was supposed to last until May 11, and to boost substantially the interoperability between Bulgarian and US forces.

In addition, the crash of the Bulgarian MiG 29, in which the two pilots survived by bailing out, while also managing to direct the fighter jet away from populated areas, has led the Bulgarian authorities to cancel the VIP Visitors' Day at the Thracian Star 2012 drills that was supposed to be held on Friday, April 26, 2012, Gen. Angelov explained.

The Bulgarian military aviation will abstain from any flights until the causes of the incident with the MiG 29 are established, except for emergency flights. Meanwhile, the US Air Force will continue its schedule training in Southern Bulgaria as part of Thracian Star 2012, the Bulgarian Defense Minister said.

The two Bulgarian pilots who bailed out before their MiG 29 fighter jet crashed during the Thracian Star 2012 exercise of the Bulgarian and US Air Forces are in a sound condition.

The two pilots, Maj. Doychinov and Capt. Metodiev, catapulted out of the aircraft, and no victims or injured have been reported so far. They have been taken to the Military Hospital in Plovdiv, and their life is out of danger. One of them, most probably Capt. Iliya Metodiev, however, will be moved to the National Military Medical Academy in Sofia over suspicions that his spine might have been affected, Darik Radio reported.
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http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=138846

**lopster** lop guest User ID: 1804 04-27-2012 04:53 AM

MILITARIZATION OF THE BALKANS: Directed against Russia? U.S. Leads Largest Air Combat Exercises In Bulgaria's History

by Rick Rozoff

On April 18 U.S. Air Forces in Europe began the largest air exercise in the history of Bulgaria, no doubt in that of the Balkans as a whole, when 24-32 American F-16 fighter jets and 500 airmen joined Bulgarian counterparts for the opening of the almost month-long Thracian Star 2012.

Described by the Sofia News Agency as "the most large-scale military aviation drills of their type," they include both squadrons of the U.S. 31st Fighter Wing based at the Aviano Air Base in Italy and the air forces of Bulgaria and Romania. According to the same Bulgarian news source, "Because of the large number of US F-16 fighter jets participating in the drills – two squadrons of 16 planes each – Bulgarian media have been quick to note that the Aviano Air Base has moved to Graf Ignatievo," the Bulgarian air base from which the exercise is coordinated.

The commander of the base, Brigadier General Tsanko Stoykov, was quoted by the U.S. European Command website as stating:

"Bilateral training is important for us at Graf Ignatievo because it gives us a chance to implement new tactics and procedures and increase our combat capabilities. It also gives us a chance to improve our interoperability with our NATO allies and partners."

The amount of F-16 Fighting Falcons and personnel accompanying them this year, "about twice the amount than any other U.S. Air Forces in Europe wing thus far" according to EUCOM, substantially surpasses the numbers in past joint U.S.-Bulgarian and U.S.-Bulgarian- Romanian air force exercises.

The first U.S.-led air combat drills in Bulgaria, Viper Javelin in 2005, included one of the fighter squadrons assigned to the 31st Fighter Wing, the 510th, which returned in 2007 for Rodopi Javelin.

In the first Thracian Star exercise in 2010, the U.S. deployed the 480th Fighter Squadron from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany with sixteen F-16s and 280 support and maintenance personnel.

Thracian Star 2012 includes as many as twice the number of American warplanes and nearly twice as many airmen as its predecessor.

Thracian Star exercises are one of several regular joint U.S.-Bulgarian drills which also include Thracian Spring and Thracian Fall exercises.

The first joint air exercise, Viper Javelin 2005, occurred the year after Bulgaria joined NATO and the year before the U.S.-Bulgarian Defense Cooperation Agreement was signed, replicating a similar agreement with neighboring Romania the year before.

The pact allowed the Pentagon to station as many as 2,500 troops at four military facilities in Bulgaria: The Graf Ignatievo and Besmer air bases, the Novo Selo Training Range and the Aitos Logistics Center.
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http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=30527