site.btaBulgarian Officials Have Not Stated MiG-29 Engines Overhaul Is Impossible Due to Missing Documents

Sofia, October 27 (BTA) - Bulgarian officials have never stated that the overhaul and extension of the life span of MiG-29 engines has been found to be impossible due to a lack of documentation, the Defence Ministry said, reacting to Thursday's statement by JSC Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG.

The Russian company said recent statements that it was impossible to overhaul and extend the life span of the MiG-29 engines of the Bulgarian Air Force due to missing documentation do not reflect reality. All aircraft engines that MiG Corporation supplies under contracts were serviced thoroughly by the engineering plant (the V.V. Chernyshev Machine Building Enterprise) and were delivered to the Defence Ministry's officials with a complete package of operational and technical documentation, as well as with the necessary papers on their airworthiness, the company said.

The Defence Ministry said Bulgarian officials had always stated that the repairs of six overhauled engines under contract UD-03-14 of November 9, 2016 were done by the Moscow V.V. Chernyshev Machine Building Enterprise.

The four new engines delivered under the contract came with missing key components specified in the design and technical parameters, which was put down in a statement of findings by the commission which received the engines. As to the six overhauled (used) engines, the Bulgarian contractor did not deliver them with the manufacturer's original forms showing the history of the engines' life cycle as required by the contract.

Last November the Defence Ministry signed the contract with Bulgaria's Aviostart OOD as an intermediary. Without the original forms it is not clear when the engines were manufactured, how long they were used and what is left of their life span.
The engines were accompanied by forms from the Chernyshev plant, which is said to have made the repairs. It emerged last week that the Defence Ministry had asked MiG Corporation if the repair plant had also manufactured the engines.

The Defence Ministry expects the Bulgarian company to remedy the omissions in the implementation of the contract without delay. The sole purpose of the official steps taken by Ministry's leadership is to guarantee flight safety and keep the fighter aviation airworthy.