An impressive air show marked the the 102nd anniversary of Bulgaria’s Air Force at Sofia Vrazhdebna airport on Saturday.

A culmination of the event that attracted thousands of visitors was Pugachev's Cobra manoeuvre performed by a MiG 29 jet fighter.

The spectacular and demanding manoeuvre was publicly performed for the first time in Bulgaria by a Bulgarian pilot. In it a plane flying at a moderate speed suddenly raises its nose to the vertical position and slightly beyond, before dropping it back to normal flight. 

A pair of Mig 29s chased each other in simulated dogfights, MiG 21 fighters  showed manoeuvres used in providing air cover to airports against attacking enemy planes, while Su 25 jets simulated  attacks against ground targets.

A Mi 17 helicopter showed its capabilities for fire-fighting and rescue operations.

Bell 206 helicopters hovered low in circles in a sort of air waltz and two C-27J Spartan military transport aircraft demonstrated a near miss, flying in opposite directions less than 100 metres from each other.

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