Bulgaria Reacts To Stepped-up Russian Surveillance Flights | Aviation International News

Bulgaria Reacts To Stepped-up Russian Surveillance Flights

Between March 1 and 26 Russian aircraft approached Bulgaria on nine occasions, flying without flight plans and requiring investigation.

Since Russian forces intervened in Ukraine, Bulgaria’s MiG-29 force has been busy shepherding Russian aircraft close to its airspace. (Photo: Ognyan Stefanov/Bulgarian air force)

By David Donald • Contributor - UK

April 3, 2014

Bulgaria’s small air defense force has been scrambled numerous times in the last two months to meet a growing number of surveillance flights being launched by Russia over the Black Sea following developments in Ukraine, according to minister of defense Angel Naidenov. Although none of the flights violated Bulgarian airspace, they approached and flew along the coast and were operating without flight plans, in turn requiring investigation. Between March 1 and 26 Russian aircraft approached Bulgaria on nine occasions: among the types to be intercepted was the Ilyushin Il-20M, a signals intelligence version of the Il-18 airliner. In recent years Bulgarian aircraft have scrambled only two or three times annually.

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