80th anniversary of Dolna Mitropoliya Air Base, Bulgaria

Bulgarian Air Force L-39ZA Albatros and PC-9 aircraft fly over Dolna Mitropoliya Air Base, Bulgaria.

While the military aircraft of modern NATO air forces mainly wear mono gray liveries, there are countries where it is still possible to admire jets in fascinating camouflage colors, especially in Eastern Europe. This is the case in Bulgaria, where citizens have recently been able to see some of the Bulgarian Air Force aircraft up close on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Dolna Mitropoliya Air Base.

Dolna Mitropoliya Air Base is a public use airport near Dolna Mitropoliya, Pleven, Bulgaria. It is the home of the aviation faculty of the National Defense University and the 12th Air Training Wing of the Bulgarian Air Force. The aviation school was created in 1945 and named after Georgi Benkovski. The school moved to Dolna Mitropoliya in 1948 and was incorporated in 2002 as part of the National Defence University.

Our collaborator Kiril Todorov has provided us with rare images and videos showing the home aircraft in action, following his visit to Dolna Mitropoliya on 12 March.

During the celebratory event, the Aero L-39ZA Albatros and Pilatus PC-9 trainer aircraft performed some demo flights to show the public the activities carried out by the Bulgarian Air Force there. They conducted several flyovers in two- and five-ship formations on the airfield.

In addition to the flying activity, the public was also able to visit a static display that included some of the base's vehicles and aircraft, including an L-39ZA jet with special marking. It had received the number 3 on its fuselage near the Bulgarian Air Force roundel to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the type in Bulgaria.

The main task of the 12th Air Training Wing is to train student pilots for the MiG-29 and Su-25 fighter fleets as well as being able to participate in combat missions. The variant of the Albatros acquired from Bulgaria features a 23 mm GSh-23L twin-linked automatic cannon positioned in a pod under the fuselage as well as an increased weapon carrying capacity.