site.btaDefence Ministry Plans Renewal of Su-25 Fighter Jets' Airworthiness

Sofia, July 31 (BTA) - There are plans to sign a contract for the maintenance and airworthiness renewal of the Su-25 fighter jets, Deputy Defence Minister Anatoliy Velichkov told journalists here on Tuesday.

The Deputy Minister recalled that the aircraft's condition is "not the best", adding that the Defence Ministry has taken measures to renew the airworthiness of the helicopter aviation and for signing a contract for integrated logistical support of the MiG-29 fighter jets until 2021.

Of a fleet of 28 helicopters, only eight are airworthy (none of the five Mi-17s, one of the five Mi-24, three or four of the twelve Cougars, and three of the six Bells), Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov said during a parliamentary hearing several weeks ago. He also said that less than half of the 245 Air Force pilots perform flights.

Deputy Chief of Defence Vice Admiral Emil Eftimov voiced hope that the project for the acquisition of two multifunctional patrol ships, which Parliament approved as the start of the Bulgarian Navy's modernization, will be implemented successfully. The current stage of the project will be presented to the Minister during the Council on Defence this Friday. The objective is to have a contract signed by this year's end.

Evtimov said he is optimistic about dealing with the shortage of military personnel. Another 100 million leva are planned for wage increases of military servicepersons for next year, with another 100 million for the following two years combined.

June helicopter crash caused by loss of reflexes

Commenting a June 11 crash of a Mi-17 helicopter in which two pilots were killed, Velichkov said the accident was caused by loss of piloting reflexes.

He thus repeated what Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov said earlier in the day in a bTV interview.

The Defence Ministry opened an investigation of the deadly crash but it was classified shortly after that a pilot error was unlikely and the cause was most probably a failure of the tail rotor.

The crashed helicopter was reported in order after an overhaul in 2016.

"I cannot guarantee the safety of pilots before the aircraft fleet is put in order and fight time is ensured for pilots. I don't want to go to funerals of Bulgarian service personnel only because somebody in past years thought that we should not be maintaining this equipment. You tell this to all pseudo-Atlanticists who continue to insist that we should not be spending money for repair of Russian helicopters and planes," said Karakachanov.