Graf Ignatievo Air Base

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Graf Ignatievo Air Base
Авиобаза Граф Игнатиево
AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 08/26 2,992 metres (9,816 ft) Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[1]

Graf Ignatievo Air Base (ICAO: LBPG) is located in the village of Graf Ignatievo, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second largest city. It is the sole remaining fighter base of that state and houses two squadrons of jet aircraft.

Graf Ignatievo is often called the German airfield by the Bulgarian aviation society, as the airfield was built with the extensive help of engineers from the

, when it became ready was turned over to the Bulgarian His Majesty's Air Troops. The first operational unit based here was the 2nd Army Aviation Regiment, comprising four yatos (squadrons):

• Fighter yato, flying the
  Avia B.534
  Dogan, Czechoslovak biplane fighters
• Level bomber yato, flying the PZL.43 Chaika Polish light bombers
• Reconnaissance yato, flying the Letov S.328 (Vrana) reconnaissance aircraft
• Training yato, flying various training machines

In 1943 the regiment was redesignated a ground attack regiment and in August the first of 12

.

In 1945, the regiment converted to the

) assumed command of 10th FAD. His monument is located in the front of 3rd Fighter Air Base - Graf Ignatievo's control tower.

In April 1952, the 15th FAR relocated to

MiG-17

PF (12 units) with a radar targeting system. Those were the fighters involved in shooting down American spy balloons, deployed in great numbers over the country, downing seven of them.

In the summer of 1957, a group of pilots, headed by squadron leader Captain Razsolkov, took an operational conversion course on the

airfield. In 1983, the unit converted to the MiG-21bis, acquiring 36 units, along with some twin-seaters.

Modern days

In 1990, the 21st FAR, at

Uzundzhovo

airfield, disbanded with its personnel and second-hand MiG-21bis forming the 19th FAR's 3rd Squadron remaining at Uzundzhovo.

In 1994, the 19th FAR also disbanded to form the 3rd Fighter Air Base (with the former 1/19, 2/19 and the ground aviation support units) at Graf Ignatievo airfield and the 4th Fighter Air Base (with the former 3/19 and the ground aviation support units) at Uzundzhovo airfield. When the 10th Combined Air Corps was transformed into the Tactical Aviation Command, the 3rd FAB went under the newly formed Air Defence Corps. When the 5th Fighter Air Base at Ravnets airfield was disbanded, the 1/3.FAB and 2/19.FAB were merged in order for Graf Ignatievo to house the "Sharks" squadron as the new 2/3.FAB.

The 3rd Fighter Air Base is Bulgaria's sole remaining air defence fighter base, taking part in and housing virtually every national and multi-national exercise, involving Bulgarian

American military

facilities.

See also

• http://www.grafportal.org/ Archived 2009-09-20 at the Wayback Machine
• Bulgarian Air Force
• Bulgarian-American Joint Military Facilities
• List of Bulgarian Air Force bases
• Ravnets Air Base
• Balchik Air Base
• Bezmer Air Base
• Cheshnegirovo Air Base
• Dobroslavtsi Air Base
• Dobrich Air Base
• Gabrovnitsa Air Base
• Uzundzhovo Air Base
• List of Bulgarian military bases
• The Bulgarian Cosmonauts
• List of joint US-Bulgarian military bases

• Silvia Zheleva, Alexander Mladenov, "Graf Ignatievo, an air base even after the year 2000. #History", in: "Klub Krile Magazine", Vol. 4, 2000, "Air Group 2000" Publishing, Sofia