The crash of the Bulgarian fighter took place on the morning of June 9. During the military maneuvers of the Shabla-21, the pilot suddenly stopped communicating. The naval forces and aviation were sent to search for the missing vehicle.
“Today, June 9, 2021, while performing a training mission over the sea area of the Republic of Bulgaria, the MiG-29 aircraft from the Bulgarian Air Force lost radio communications and disappeared from the radars at 00:45 (coincides with Moscow). A search and rescue operation began immediately and continues to this day. It involved forces and means from the Navy, the Joint Special Operations Command, the Border Police and the Air Force [Bulgaria]"- quoted by TASS message is, the defense department.
Military maneuvers "Shabla-21" in connection with the incident have been suspended.
According to the agency avia.pro, there is no data on the causes of the incident yet. It is known that at least two military aircraft and about 4 ships are involved in the search and rescue operation.
Observers indicate a probable technical malfunction as one of the reasons for the crash.
“Most of the MiG-29 fighters of the Bulgarian Air Force did not undergo timely maintenance due to significant differences between the West and Russia”, - the newspaper notes.
Despite active searches, no traces of the crash have yet been found.