A public procurement procedure aimed at repairing up to ten engines for Bulgaria’s MiG-29 fighter jets has been cancelled after no companies submitted applications to participate. The decision was signed by acting Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov and published in the Public Procurement Register. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Defense had launched the tender with an estimated value of just over 21 million euros.

This is not the first attempt to secure maintenance for the MiG-29 fleet. At the end of 2024, Bulgaria signed a contract with the Polish state-owned company Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr 2 S.A. for similar repair work. However, Zapryanov has previously warned that maintaining the Soviet-era aircraft is becoming increasingly difficult, even for Poland, on whose technical support Bulgaria relies.

According to the defense minister, the MiG-29 fighters will have to remain operational until the country’s newly acquired F-16 aircraft reach full readiness. Under the current plan, that is expected to happen in 2028. Zapryanov noted that maintaining the MiG-29 fleet is essential if Bulgaria wants to preserve national capabilities for protecting its airspace until the transition to NATO-standard aircraft is complete. He also pointed out that delays in replacing the jets and the prolonged reliance on the aging platform are the result of years of postponed decisions regarding the purchase of modern NATO fighters.

Operational costs for the Air Force’s MiG-29 and Su-25 aircraft are projected to exceed 114 million leva in 2026. Of that amount, approximately 86.46 million leva is expected to be spent on the MiG-29 fleet, while around 27.6 million leva will go toward the operation of the Su-25 attack aircraft. Zapryanov explained that the estimates are based on annual planning and operational statistics covering the use of both aircraft types.

Maintaining the operational capabilities of the Air Force with these platforms has already required significant funding in recent years. Between 2024 and October 31, 2025, the combined expenses for operating the MiG-29 and Su-25 aircraft exceeded 104 million leva.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria has begun the transition to its new fighter fleet. Deliveries of the first eight F-16 aircraft under the 2019 contract with the United States started at the beginning of 2025, and all eight jets were officially presented during a ceremony on December 18. By the end of 2027, the Bulgarian Air Force is expected to operate a full squadron of F-16 Block 70 fighters, once another eight aircraft are delivered under a second contract. Training flights with the new fighters were visible over Sofia recently, with Bulgarian F-16s performing low passes over the capital.