‘Thracian Star’ to fill Bulgarian skies with Soviet MiG-29 and U.S. F-16 fighters
The Bulgarian Air Force will be demonstrated its military capabilities with a series of joint flights and tasks later month.
Some of the most popular military aircraft in the world will be on show in Bulgaria this month at Thracian Star 2025, an international military exercise.
The event is hosted by the Bulgarian Air Force on July 25, 2025. The announcement was made by the Bulgarian Defence Ministry, which will also have an active role in the show.
The Thracian Star exercise dates back to 2010 with a series of joint flights and mid-air tasks in Bulgarian air space. The event brings together the air forces of Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and the United States.
The Bulgarian Air Force will provide MiG-29s, L-39s and Su-25s, all of which are Soviet/Russian military aircraft. The MiG is an all-round fighter jet, while the L-39 (training jet) and the Su-25 (close air support) have more specific roles.
Also in action at the July 25 event will be a Cougar helicopter, along with a variety of equipment from Bulgaria’s air defense systems.
The United States - along with Greece and Romania - will be providing F-16s for the occasion. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a supersonic multi-role fighter aircraft is one of the most long-serving aircraft of its kind still in active service and it is the most common fixed-wing plane in military service.
First developed in 1974 by General Dynamics, the F-16 has been a mainstay of the U.S. Air Force’s tactical air control. Including America, there are now 26 national air forces around the world that utilize the F-16 fighter jet. The Thracian event gives some of these countries a chance to work together away from an active military operation.
“Exercises like Thracian Star are critical to the role we play at Aviano as a trusted NATO ally,” U.S. Air Force Captain Reid Chlasta said in 2021. “Integrating with our Bulgarian counterparts gives us new perspectives and shows us where and how we can multiply our strengths, especially in functions that directly impact our sortie generation capabilities.”
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