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NATO air force drill kicks off in Bulgaria

Xinhua, July 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

The joint air force drill Thracian Star 2016, involving units from Bulgaria, the United States, Greece and Romania, kicked off in the Bulgarian airspace on Monday, officials said.

During the 12-day exercise, 12 jets F-15 from California's 144th Fighter Wing will train together with Romanian MiG-21s, Greek F-16s, and Bulgarian jets and helicopters such as MiG-29, Su-25, AS 532 AL Cougar, Mi-24 and Mi-17, Bulgarian Air Force said in a statement on its website.

The main objectives were to achieve greater interoperability of the Bulgarian Air Force to participate in operations under the auspices of NATO, and enhance the theoretical, tactical-special and flight preparation of the staff, the statement said.

The drill is a part of the plan for joint Bulgarian-American training and exercises for 2016, the statement added.

According to data from the country's Defense Ministry, in 2015 the Bulgarian Armed Forces conducted 264 national and 25 international exercises. In addition, military units of the Bulgarian army participated in 82 joint trainings and drills with the U.S. Army. Endit