64736 | 2 March 2026 | 08:40

"The first to write about the respective planes was diplomat and former deputy minister Milen Keremedchiev on Facebook. "At the moment, there are 7 American military tanker planes at the airport for refueling

 Four US Air Force (USAF) planes took off together from Sofia Airport last night with their transponders turned off, shows a video from the airport posted on Facebook.

 They are called "flying tankers" (Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker) because they are used for mid-air refueling of combat aircraft.

  There is no information about the route of the planes, as they are still flying with their transponders turned off, according to a check by Obektivno.BG on the flight tracking website FlightRadar24.

 Earlier in the day, five more "flying tankers" (Boeing KC-135Sratotanker) were scheduled to land at Vasil Levski Airport in Sofia, according to FlightRadar24.

  "The ten KC-135 refueling tankers are still at Sofia Airport.   This is, as we have announced, both in accordance with the note and the request of the USA - deployment on our territory with the purpose of training for the enhanced forward presence on the eastern flank of the Alliance. These are our commitments in terms of collective defense. Bulgaria has no other commitments regarding the use of these aircraft."

  This was announced by Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov on BTV in response to a question about whether the aircraft will be part of the operation in Iran. He added that the planes are logistical and similar ones exist in neighboring countries.

 Despite the assurances of the Defense Minister, social media erupted with speculation and rumors that the aircraft were indeed used in the strikes.
 This forced the "Air Traffic Control Authority" (ATCA), as well as the operator of the capital's airport, to deny these claims. "They stated that none of the American planes have taken off from Vasil Levski Airport in Sofia.

  In the meantime, a series of photos have appeared on BGnes, which clearly show that the American planes are still at the airport.

  It can be seen that there are tankers next to them. The first to write about these planes on Facebook was the diplomat and former Deputy Minister Milen Keremedchiev. "At the moment, there are 7 American military planes at the airport - tanker planes for refueling fighter jets in the air, 3 cargo C-17 and C-130, as well as several Boeing 747s for transporting soldiers. They are all headed to Iran. Apparently, things will get very heated there very soon," he wrote. This sparked rumors that the planes are part of the buildup of American military forces for a possible attack on Iran.

  Days ago, there was a hearing in parliament on the topic." Then Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynski and Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov explained that the American military planes stationed at the "Vasil Levski" civilian airport in Sofia are not intended for participation in current or planned military operations.

 The planes are transport vehicles, with no offensive capabilities, and their deployment was authorized by the Bulgarian authorities upon a request from the US Embassy in Sofia. The reason is the training being conducted in the context of strengthening NATO's eastern flank through enhanced alertness measures, which aim to reinforce the alliance's eastern flank. The permission for transit through the country's territory and for stay is valid from February 17 to May 31 of this year.

 According to the ministers, the use of the civilian airport for such engagements has been pre-declared.  Military airports do not have the capacity to accommodate such a large number of planes, as stated in the given permit, which allows for up to 15 planes at once, along with 500 servicing personnel. Representatives of the government reassured that the activities at "Vasil Levski" airport have not been stopped or restricted, and the presence of military planes on the parking lot does not pose a barrier.

  "I can assure you that this does not affect our armed forces in any way. We will not change the regime of our armed forces, as we are not involved in this operation. I want to reassure Bulgarian citizens that this operation, currently taking place, does not involve the participation of the Bulgarian state in any way. There is no immediate danger to the Bulgarian state from what is happening there.   "Bulgaria is in no way involved in this operation and activities, therefore we call for ways to de-escalate," said Zapryanov.
 

 On social media, eyewitnesses published pictures of the new planes. "Peacekeepers from the 'training' at Sofia Airport are not only 15 now, but they also brought their own tankers, trucks for anti-icing procedures and all the ground equipment to service KC-135 tankers," a user wrote on Facebook and shared photos.

 "Today, the gray guests at our airport are 15. As observers, we managed to capture the flying gas stations from all possible viewing points," wrote Anton Vasiliev and added photos of the new planes.

 "The Second Batch of KC-135 in Magnificent Sunset Light" is the headline of the photos published on Facebook by Anton Balakchiev. He also confirmed that on 01.03.2026, 5 additional air tankers KC-135 have landed in Sofia.

 The American military planes are here for training and are parked at the civilian airport "Vasil Levski" because the Ministry of Defense was unable to secure enough parking spaces at the airport "Vrazhdebna". This was announced by Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov to journalists last week.

 At that time, more than 120 US Air Force planes crossed the ocean, including four dozen F-16s, three squadrons of F-35As and 12 F-22 Raptor fighters, aerial tankers and reconnaissance planes. The majority were deployed at US bases in the Middle East.

 A smaller part is located in the "Ramstein" base in Germany. Initially 6, and subsequently another 4 of the "flying tankers" (Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker) for refueling combat aircraft with fuel in the air landed at "Sofia" airport.