Netherlands sends four F-35 fighter jets to Bulgaria

SOFIA (Reuters) – Netherlands has sent four F-35 warplanes to NATO ally Bulgaria to help with its air-policing tasks amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.

The Dutch warplanes, along with Bulgarian MiG-29 fighter jets, will help protect the airspace of the Black Sea country until May 31, in line with NATO’s integrated plan for air and anti-missile defence.

They will replace four Spanish fighter jets that have been supporting airspace surveillance of Bulgaria since the middle of February.

Bulgaria, on NATO’s eastern flank, is also setting up a battlegroup of up to 1,000 troops in close cooperation with the alliance.

(Reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova; Editing by Bernadette Baum)