On October 11th Sofia International Airport hosted a major air show organized by the Bulgarian Air Force. The event, titled "This is us" became the first such event in Sofia since 1994 and was formally dedicated to the 102nd anniversary of the Air Force. The event was conceived and developed as a large-scale demonstration of the full capabilities of military aviation in Bulgaria. The ultimate goal was to familiarize the population of the Bulgarian capital with the equipment, personnel, and current on goings in the Air Force as a whole. The desired effect would be to gain more broad public support for the ongoing process of acquiring new fighter aircraft which has been continuing for more than 10 years, as well as attracting young people to serve in the military.
All of the aircraft currently in service with the Air Force participated in the flying program with the exception of the PC-12 and An-2. The static display and the crowd were located in the northern area of the airport on the territory of Vrazhdebna transport airbase. The civil airport remained closed for about two hours while the air demonstrations took place.
The demonstrations began with Mi-17, AS-532AL Cougar and Bell-206 helicopters from Krumovo airbase. They showed combat search and rescue, assault landing by the "fast rope" method, evacuation of a wounded victim on a stretcher while air cover was provided by the Mi-17.
There was an impressive display by two C-27J Spartans from Vrazhdebna airbase. They entered in a tight formation at extremely low altitude and

then flew a combination of extreme high-G maneuvers and hard banks designed to overcome enemy air defenses. The culmination was the execution of two consecutive opposing crosses, much like a jet demo team. 

Instructors from the training airbase at Dolna Mitropoliya showed the capabilities of the PC-9M and L-39ZA, which prepared the audience for the most interesting part of the show - fast jets. The first was a couple MiG-21bis, which fired up the sky with fast afterburner passes followed by a pair of Su-25s from Bezmer airbase demonstrating attacks on ground targets with steep dives and high-G turns. After the strike aircraft, it was time for the pilots from Graf Ignatievo with their MiG-29s. Two of them performed a mock dogfight at low altitude to the delight of the crowd.
The show was closed by a spectacular solo flight of a MiG-29 performed personally by the commander of Air Force Major General Rumen Radev. The general, who in the 90s was part of the demonstration group "Sea Eagles", showed the full maneuvering capabilities of the aircraft at times flying very low. For the first time ever the "Cobra" and "Bell" maneuvers were shown publically in Bulgaria.

Considering the attendance of more than 50,000 viewers and the serious media coverage, it can be assumed that the main objectives of the organizers from the Air Force were met. Now is the time for the political leadership of the country to take action and decide on the purchase of a new fighter plane. A decision which has no alternative and on which the future of the Bulgarian Air Force for the next several decades depends on.