The United States Air Force (USAF) and Bulgarian Air Force launched the operational component of the annual Thracian Star joint exercise this morning at Bezmer Air Base.  Thracian Star 25 will focus on F-16 operations, with the USAF’s 510^th Fighter Squadron, 31^st Fighter Wing bringing 12 of the fighter jets from Aviano Air Base in Italy to Bezmer for the exercise, joined by F-16s from Romania and Greece. 

Approximately 250 USAF personnel from the 510^th Fighter Squadron and multiple support aircraft – including C-130 and C-17 transporters and KC-135 aerial refueling tankers – will participate in the exercise alongside the Bulgarian Air Force. The exercise will focus on F-16 flying, maintenance and support operations.

Martin McDowell, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Sofia, thanked the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense for its invaluable assistance in conducting Thracian Star, stating: “Exercises like this are critical to enhance the interoperability of our defensive forces and play a vital role in securing NATO’s eastern flank and the Black Sea region.  Thracian Star 25 is another example of our expanding bilateral security cooperation and a powerful demonstration of why NATO is the world’s most successful military alliance and the most effective guarantor of Bulgaria’s security.”

 Paul Sebold, U.S. Defense Attaché to Bulgaria, noted: “The F-16 fighter jet is key to NATO’s Black Sea operation, making Thracian Star a critical annual exercise. And this year’s iteration is particularly useful because the Bulgarian Air Force’s newly trained F-16 maintenance personnel will join their counterparts from the U.S. Air Force in Bezmer.  Working together, both teams will reinforce their abilities in generating, recovering, repairing and sustaining F-16 flying operations in a simulated operational environment.”

Bulgaria received the first of its 16 F-16 Block 70 aircraft in April 2025, and its second aircraft in June, with six additional F-16s due to join the Bulgarian Air Force fleet throughout 2025.  The Block 70 is the most advanced F-16 ever built, with new, state-of-the-art radar technology, avionics, and pilot safety equipment, as well as a new, more powerful and longer-range engine. Bulgaria’s remaining eight F-16s will begin arriving in 2027.

The flying component of Thracian Star 25 will continue until July 25, with the full exercise concluding July 31.

Source: U.S. Embassy Sofia press release