U.S. Deploys F-16s For More Black Sea Exercises

US Deploys F-16s To Bulgaria For Yet Another Black Sea Exercise

Rick Rozoff 

Eight US F-16 multirole combat aircraft arrived at the Graf Ignatievo Air Base in Bulgaria on July 9 for this year’s iteration of the Thracian Star military exercise. The joint American-Bulgarian air force exercise is being conducted to, according to US Air Forces in Europe and Air Force Africa, "enhance the ability to rapidly deploy to remote locations and provide credible force to assure stability for the region."

The region is the Black Sea, where what the US and NATO consider "temporarily-occupied territory," Crimea, and the Russian Black Sea Fleet are located. Not far beyond are the South Caucasus, the Donbass and the Middle East (for example, Syria and Iran).

The F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft arrived from the Aviano Air Base, Italy, which was employed for NATO’s bombing campaigns in Bosnia and Kosovo, and airmen from the 435th Combat Training Squadron and the 4th Combat Training Squadron deployed from Ramstein, Germany where both US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa and NATO Allied Air Command have their headquarters. The latter two share a commander, as do NATO as a whole (Supreme Allied Commander Europe) and US European Command and US Naval Forces in Europe and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO.

As with other US-led air combat drills, Thracian Star 21 will provide the American Air Force the opportunity of engaging in mock combat encounters with Russian-designed aircraft. Bulgaria is providing Sukhoi SU-25 ground attack aircraft and Mi-24 helicopters for the purpose; in the past it has also supplied MiG-29 jet fighters, but will not do so this year because the crash of one last month which killed a Bulgarian pilot. But the host nation will provide anti-aircraft missile units. Maneuvers will occur in the air space of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania. Another description of the exercise states it will "include offensive counter air and defensive counter air, protection of high value assets, and close air support in a contested environment."

In the past the exercise has included as many as 32 F-16s.

The Graf Ignatievo Air Base also hosts the regular Thracian Viper air force exercises. Last year’s version was described by its director of operations as"important because it gives us the opportunity to strengthen our relationship with Bulgaria and NATO."

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