|
Population
Defence budget 2010
GDP 2009
Land area
Capital
Life expectancy
Population growth rate |
7.4 million
Euros 761 million (US$936 million)
Euros 34 billion (US$42 billion)
111,000 sq kms (42,857 sq miles)
Sofia (Population 1.4 million)
72.8 years
-0.77 per cent |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Total Armed
Forces |
|
Army
Navy
Air Force
Joint (Central Staff) |
16,000
3,500
6,500
8,500
|
|
Conscription ended in 2008 and the above approximate personnel
figures above continue to be reduced.
There are approximately 12,000 Border Guards serving under the
command of the Ministry of the Interior.
|
| MINISTRY OF
DEFENCE |
|
|
Contact Details
|
Ministry of Defence
3 Dyakon Ignatiy Street
1000 Sofia
BULGARIA
Tel.: +35 9 02 92 20 922
|
|
Bulgaria joined
the European Union in January 2007 following its accession to
NATO in April 2004. The Bulgarian Ministry of Defence is still
involved in a restructuring programme (PLAN 2004) that will see
its military forces based around a core rapid reaction force. |
Army Strength: 16,000 approximately
1 x Armoured Brigade
2 x Mechanised Brigades
1 x Light Infantry Brigade
1 x Special Forces Regiment
BULGARIAN ARMY
(LAND FORCES) OUTLINE STRUCTURE
Note: Some
sources suggest that up to 4 x Reserve Brigades and about 200,000
reservists are available in an emergency. While the reserve forces
are almost certainly significant, our estimate is that only one or
two reserve Brigades with between 10,000 to 15,000 personnel could
realistically be expected to be available for operations at short
notice.
EU Battlegroups
Bulgaria is a member of the HELBROC Battle Group. This battle group
which consists of contingents from Cyprus, Greece, Romania and
Bulgaria can only be deployed for evacuation operations and for
humanitarian assistance.
|
Main Battle Tanks (MBT) |
160 x T-72M
(possibly 250 in-store) |
|
Reconnaissance (Recce) |
12 x BRDM-2
(Wheeled) |
|
Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicle (AIFV) |
100 x
BMP-2/3 (Tracked) |
|
|
75 x BMP-1
(Tracked) |
|
Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) |
100 x MTLB
(Tracked) (possibly 600 in-store) |
| |
100 x
BTR-60PB-MD1 (Wheeled) (possibly 100 in-store) |
| |
7 x M1117 (Wheeled)
for Afghanistan |
|
Light
Vehicles (Lt Veh) |
300 Mercedes
G Class (300 more on order) |
| |
50 x HMMWV
(for Afghanistan) |
| Self Propelled
Artillery (SP ARTY) |
150 x 122 mm
2S1 (possibly 500 in-store) |
| Towed Artillery |
100 x 122 mm
D-20 with about 300 other types such as 130 mm M-46, 122 mm
M-30, various 100 mm in store |
| Multiple Rocket
Launchers (MRL) |
100 x 122 mm
BM-21 (majority in-store) |
| Mortars (Mor) |
200 x 120 mm
2S12 |
| |
200 x 82 mm |
| Anti-Tank (Atk) |
200 x
AT-4/AT-5 (some AT-5 SP) |
| |
Variety of
85 mm and 100 mm AT guns in store |
| Low Level Air
Defence (LLAD) |
24 x SA-8
SAM SP |
| |
40 x SA-9
SAM SP |
| |
10 x SA-5
SAM |
| |
100 x SA-7
SAM (estimate) |
| |
Variety of
older guns available |
|
|
|
Note: Many
of the above equipment figures are probably optimistic and
reflect high on many figures that the Bulgarian Army now has.
It is unlikely that a force at 18,000 personnel would be capable
of managing all of the equipment listed above. |
Navy Strength: approximately
3,500
1 x Submarine
4 x Frigates
17 x Mine Warfare Vessels
Major Naval Bases are located at Varna and Atiya.
|
Submarines (SSK) |
1 x Slavat
(Soviet Romeo Class) |
|
Frigates
(FF) |
2 x Pauk |
|
|
1 x Smeli
(Soviet Koni Class) |
|
|
1 x Drazki
(Belgian Weilingen Class - one more on order) |
|
Corvettes
(FS) |
2 x Gowind
on order from France for deliveries starting in 2012 |
|
Mine Hunter
Coastal (MHC) |
1 x
Tripartite MHC (Belgian/Flower Class) |
| |
4 x Sonya
MHC |
| |
4 x Vanya
MHC |
| |
6 x Olya MSI |
|
Patrol
Vessels (PC) |
1 x Tarantul
II |
| |
5 x Osa I/II |
| |
9 x Zhuk |
|
Miscellaneous |
2 x landing
ships |
| |
12 x
logistics and support vessels |
|
Naval
Aviation |
3 x Mi-14
(being replaced by AS-565) |
| |
6 x AS-565
Panther (deliveries start in 2010) |
Air Force Strength: 6,500
BULGARIAN AIR FORCE OUTLINE STRUCTURE
Note:
22 (Attack) Air Base is in
the process of becoming a joint US/Bulgarian training facility.
|
MAJOR
AIR FORCE EQUIPMENT |
|
Fighter/Interceptor (Ftr) |
20 x MiG-29
Fulcrum (modernisation complete) |
|
|
15 x MiG-21 Bis/UM (reported as serviceable) |
|
Fighter
Ground Attack (FGA) |
12 x
Su-25/Su25UB (operational) |
|
Transport (Tpt) |
1 x An-24 |
|
|
2 x C-227J
Spartan (3 more on order) |
|
|
2 x An-26 |
| |
7 x
Let-410UVP-E |
| |
1 x PC-12M |
| |
1 x An-30
(also used for survey) |
|
Training (Trg) |
8 x L39ZA |
| |
6 x PC-9M
|
|
Helicopters
(Hel) |
6 x Bell 206
(utility) |
| |
12 x AS 532
Cougar (transport & SAR) |
| |
8 x Mi-17
(transport) |
| |
12 x
Mi-24D/V (attack) |
|
Air Defence
(AD) |
SA-5 SAM |
| |
SA-10 SAM (Probably
50-60 launchers available) |
|
Air launched
missiles (ALM) |
AA-2, AA-7,
AA-10 & AA-11 AAM |
| |
AS-7, AS-10
& AS-14 ASM |
CURRENT UNIT
DEPLOYMENTS
(over platoon strength – 30 personnel. These are approximate
figures)
| NATO (ISAF)
Afghanistan |
450 |
| NATO (KFOR) Kosovo |
50 |
| EUFOR Bosnia |
120 |
