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Defence Ministry Reports Successful Completion of Bulgarian-Greek Exercise Green Bridge 2026

bta.bg · 22h · first reportShare

A Bulgarian-Greek air exercise, Green Bridge 2026, was successfully completed on September 23, the Defence Ministry said. The crews practiced procedures for intercepting, transferring, and handing over an aircraft that had violated its flight plan during cross-border operations. The aim of the joint Green Bridge 2026 flights was to achieve better coordination and interoperability between the air forces of the neighboring countries and to enhance pilots’ training in carrying out coordinated flight missions. As part of the exercise scenario, a Spartan military transport aircraft from the 16th Air Base played the role of an aircraft that had deviated from its assigned flight plan, triggering an alert procedure in allied airspace. Bulgarian MiG-29 fighter crews intercepted the aircraft, escorted it, and handed it over to the Greek pair of F-16 aircraft on duty. The Greek aircraft then carried out the Air Policing mission and compelled the aircraft to land at a designated airfield. The trai