USAF F-15C Eagles (Photo : USAF)
The United States will deploy U.S. Air Force Boeing F-15C Eagle fighter jets to help protect the Republic of Bulgaria, a NATO member, in what might be the first in a series of moves to bolster that country's defenses against Russian aggression.
The patrols involving F-15C Eagles will begin Sept. 9 and were announced Aug. 24. NATO said the patrols will last for a week as part of wider measures to reassure NATO member nations in Eastern Europe.
"The US Air Force and the Bulgarian Air Force will jointly conduct air policing to protect Bulgarian airspace starting on 9 September 2016," said a NATO statement. "Two US F-15 fighter jets will join Bulgaria's MIG-29s for a week on this mission."
The USAF F-15 air superiority fighters will fly alongside Bulgarian Air Force (Bulgarski Voenno Vazdushni Sili or BuAF) MiG-29 "Fulcrum" air superiority fighters in these combat patrols.
NATO said this first air policing deployment of USAF F-15Cs to Bulgaria takes place at the request of the Bulgarian government. The F-15Cs and MiG-29s will scramble in response to military and civilian aircraft that do not follow international flight regulations, or approach NATO airspace without proper clearance.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said the mission is a demonstration of solidarity and support for Bulgaria. Joint policing measures are intended to ensure protection for NATO allies who don't have sufficient air defense assets in their own militaries.
The USAF has stepped up its deployments to Eastern Europe after the breakdown of political relations between the West and Russia over the actions of President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.
The United States has rotated number of what it calls "Theater Security Packages" (TSPs through Europe since the TSPs first arrived in early 2015. These TSPs have typically been made up of F-15C fighters or Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft.
Bulgaria and the United States signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement in 2006 providing for military bases and training camps of the U.S. Army in Bulgaria as part of the Pentagon's restructuring plan.
Bulgaria became a NATO member in March 2004.
