558 ARP Has Fulfilled the Contract for the Bulgarian Air Force Su-25 Aircraft’s Overhaul Reconditioning at a Fixed Time

On 11 February 2021, the eighth Su-25 attack aircraft (registration number 254) was delivered to the Bulgarian Air Force at Bezmer air base. Under the 2018 contract, this aircraft was the final to overhaul reconditioning at the 558 ARP JSC in Baranovichi (Republic of Belarus). The Bulgarian Defence Ministry’s Spokesman’s Service, reporting this, stresses that the contract for the Bulgarian Su-25 aircraft’s modernisation has been fulfilled at a fixed time.

Following the overhaul reconditioning, the aircraft gained additional combat capabilities: the arsenal of munitions used was expanded, the accuracy of hitting ground targets with the increase in the range was improved. The Su-25 fuselage lifespan was extended by 800 flight hours, and that of the R-95Sh turbojet engines by 500 hours. This will allow the Bulgarian Air Force to operate the Su-25 until 2027-2028 with a potential 10-year service life extension after another airframe and engine overhaul.

As previously reported, Bulgarian Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov during his visit to Bezmer air base on 10 December 2020 said: “This is a clear example of a consensus between the political and military leadership of the country on where to invest, when after careful analysis the right investment choices are made and the necessary results are achieved”.

After the evaluation of the received repaired and modernised aircraft, the Bulgarian Air Force will consider the possibility of sending six more Su-25 (4 – Su-25K and 2 – Su-25UBK) to Baranovichi under the current contract.