site.btaPM Attends Launch of VR System for F-16 Aircraft Study at Bulgarian Air Force Academy

The combat capability, modernization and rearmament of the Bulgarian Armed Forces are a key task, said caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev in Dolna Mitropoliya (North Bulgaria), where he participated in a launching ceremony of a virtual reality system, allowing real-scale study of the F-16 Block 70 aircraft. The Georgi Benkovski Bulgarian Air Force Academy also hosted the ceremony of receiving two new CABRI helicopters. 

"This is a trend that will continue, I am sure of it, in the next governments," Glavchev pointed out. "There is a war going on a few hundred kilometres from here. We have to be ready for war so that we can live in peace," the caretaker Prime Minister added. 

"Fortunately for us, Bulgaria is a NATO member, which means that we can rely on the collective capabilities of the Alliance. On the one hand, this is reassuring. At the same time, we should not be too reassured, but rearm the Bulgarian army," Glavchev stressed. 

The virtual reality system was delivered to the Bulgarian Air Force Academy as part of the project to establish a centre for training flight and engineering staff for the F-16 Block 70 aircraft from the Industrial Cooperation Programme with the manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

The new system enables the interactive visualization of data on complex aviation systems at every stage of the cadets' training. The use of virtual reality will support the trainees' better understanding of the features and behaviour of the different systems and increase the effectiveness of their training.

In 2023, a Council of Ministers decree allocated earmarked funds to the Bulgarian Air Force Academy for the acquisition of new capabilities. Following a public procurement, the school acquired two new CABRI G2 training helicopters manufactured by GUIMBAL - France. They have a very good safety record and fully meet the requirements of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

The new acquisition will enable helicopter pilot cadets to begin their initial flight training at the Bulgarian Air Force Academy, learning skills and tactics that will be critical to the successful execution of their future missions, the Ministry of Defence said.