Bulgarian Air Force Hosts Thracian Star 2025 with US, Greek and Romanian Counterparts
SOFIA, Bulgaria - The Bulgarian Air Force is hosting the international military exercise Thracian Star 2025, running through July 25, 2025, with aircraft and personnel from the United States, Greece, Romania, and the Multinational Battle Group in Bulgaria conducting joint flights and tasks over Bulgarian airspace.
The Defence Ministry announced the exercise, which brings together the air forces of four countries for a two-week series of combined operations. The Multinational Battle Group in Bulgaria, whose framework country is Italy, is also participating in the drills.
Thracian Star was first held in 2010, making the 2025 iteration part of a 15-year tradition of multinational aerial cooperation in the region. Joint flights and tasks are being conducted in Bulgarian airspace for the duration of the exercise.
The Bulgarian Air Force is flying MiG-29 fighters, L-39 jet trainers, Su-25 ground-attack aircraft, and a Cougar helicopter. Air defence systems are also involved in the exercise, according to the Defence Ministry. Notably, the ministry's announcement did not include Bulgaria's two F-16 fighter jets among the listed Bulgarian assets. F-16s are, however, present in the exercise - drawn from the US, Greek, and Romanian air forces.
The omission of Bulgaria's F-16s from the official Bulgarian asset list is conspicuous. Bulgaria has worked to modernise its air arm in recent years, and the F-16 acquisition has been a centrepiece of that effort. The Defence Ministry offered no explanation for why those aircraft were not listed among Bulgarian participants.
For Bulgaria, Thracian Star 2025 represents one of the more visible demonstrations of allied air cooperation on national territory. The exercise places multiple foreign air forces operating alongside Bulgarian units in Bulgarian airspace, testing interoperability across a fleet that spans Soviet-era and Western-designed platforms. The MiG-29, Su-25, and L-39 aircraft listed by the Defence Ministry are all of Eastern Bloc origin, while the F-16s operated by allied participants are Western-built - a combination that reflects the broader transition Bulgaria and its regional partners have been navigating since joining Western alliances.
The participation of the Multinational Battle Group adds a ground-element dimension to what is primarily an air exercise, with Italy's framework role underscoring the multinational character of allied force posture in Bulgaria.
Romania and Greece, both neighbours and regional partners of Bulgaria, round out the participating nations alongside the United States. Their air forces bring F-16s to the exercise, giving the joint drills a common Western platform operating in coordination with Bulgaria's mixed fleet.
The exercise is being conducted under the oversight of the Bulgarian Air Force, which serves as the host service. The Defence Ministry is the primary communicating authority for the Bulgarian side, having issued the official announcement and list of participating assets.
No civilian disruption or airspace closure details were provided in the Defence Ministry's announcement. The joint flights and tasks are described as taking place in Bulgarian airspace without further specification of affected zones or altitudes.
Thracian Star 2025 continues until July 25, 2025. Details on the exercise's scope, objectives, and final assessment remain unconfirmed beyond what the Defence Ministry has publicly stated
