The air forces of the USA and Bulgaria have started the most large-scale military aviation drills of their type entitled "Thracian Star 2012".

The drills at the Graf Ignatievo Air Base near the southern Bulgarian city of Plovdiv are conducted jointly by the Bulgarian Air Force, the Romanian Air Force, and the 31st Force Support Squadron stationed at the Aviano Air Base, a NATO Air Base under US Air Force administration in northeastern Italy.

Because of the large number of US F-16 fighter jets participating in the drills – two squadrons of 16 planes each – Bulgarian media have been quick to note that the Aviano Air Base has moved to Graf Ignatievo.

The Graf Ignatievo Air Base has already been used jointly by Bulgaria and the USA for seven years. Bulgaria, Romania, and the USA have boosted their military cooperation in the recent years under the so called Task Force East (formerly known as Joint Task Force East). According to the Bulgarian newspaper 24 Chasa daily, the Romanian Air Force is also taking part in the Thracian Spring drills.

The Thracian Star 2012 drills taking place between April 17 and May 11, 2012, feature Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29, MiG-21, Su-25, and Spartan C-27J planes; US Air Force F-16s, and Romanian Air Force MiG-21s

The drills are managed by Bulgarian Brigade General Rumen Radev, deputy commander of the Bulgarian Air Force.

The Thracian Star exercises are the most large-scale stationing of military staff and equipment from Bulgaria's allies, Capt. Nadezhda Topurova, PR of the Graf Ignatievo Air Base has explained.

The major goals of the drills are to improve the tactical interoperability of the US Air Force in Europe and the Bulgarian and Romanian military aviation.

According to the Bulgarian press, some of the drills will feature US F-16 strikes at the Koren training ground near Haskovo, with the Bulgarian planes protecting the strikes from the Romanian pilots.

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