Sofia seeks Polish lifeline for six MiG-29s

Only six of Bulgaria's fifteen MiG-29 fighters were recently airworthy (BNR News). That number explains why Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev used the NATO summit in Ankara to meet representatives of WZL-2, Poland's state military aviation repair facility in Bydgoszcz (Fakti, Defence24). The goal: keep those jets flying until Sofia's ordered F-16 Block 70s arrive. That date may not come before 2030.

The Bydgoszcz Lifeline

WZL-2 has serviced Bulgarian MiG-29 engines in recent years, building its own parts supply after Russian maintenance channels became politically unusable (24 Chasa). An engine-overhaul tender worth more than EUR 26 million gives a sense of how much effort it takes to extract remaining flight hours from ageing airframes (BNR News).

Warsaw gains from the arrangement too: a practical reason NATO allies keep needing Polish expertise with Soviet-era hardware. The wider ambition to make WZL-2 a regional maintenance hub for legacy fighters comes mostly from officials rather than signed contracts (Fakti).

Fighter Purchases Don't Close Gaps Overnight

Romania shows why. Bucharest took delivery of its last F-16 from a Portuguese lot in 2020 (Lockheed Martin). In 2024, the US notified Congress of a possible sale of 32 F-35A aircraft (DSCA). But an air force becomes operational only when pilots are qualified, spare parts flow, weapons are integrated, and the aircraft plugs into NATO's command network. Buying the jet is the start of a years-long process.

Slovakia provides the sharper warning. After donating its MiG-29s to Ukraine, Bratislava depended on allied air-policing cover (where NATO allies take turns patrolling another member's skies) while waiting for replacement jets. In July 2026, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini was presenting the readiness of two F-16s for Baltic air policing as a future commitment, not a current fact (Aktuality). NATO covered the gap. Covering a gap, though, carries domestic political cost and deepens reliance on whoever shows up.

A Spare-Parts Problem in Sofia, a Rotation Problem in Rome

When a NATO member cannot police its own skies, the alliance fills the hole. Italy has deployed Eurofighters and, in 2024, F-35As to Romania under NATO's enhanced air-policing mission (NATO Air Command, Aeronautica Militare). Each rotation consumes aircraft hours, pilot time and maintenance capacity. A spare-parts problem in Sofia becomes a rotation-planning problem in Rome, even if no Italian politician describes it that way.

NATO treats air policing as a permanent peacetime task (NATO). Bulgaria sits in the Black Sea theatre alongside Romania, Turkey and Ukraine, where Russian pressure has made air surveillance more urgent (DefenseRomania).

The authority chain for fixing this is revealing. The Bulgarian government decides whether to contract WZL-2. The Polish state owns the facility. NATO has no role in the maintenance deal, but absorbs the failure through more rotations by countries like Italy. Europe plans defence integration on long timelines; readiness gaps are handled by whoever has the parts today. Bulgarian reporting has not shown a signed long-term agreement between Sofia and Bydgoszcz (24 Chasa). Until Bulgaria's F-16s are combat-ready, who covers the Black Sea's thin spots is a question for NATO force planners, not summit communiqués.