48th FW trains, builds partnerships at Sentry Gold

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Chris Stagner
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
GRAF IGNATIEVO AIR FORCE BASE, Bulgaria --  Almost 200 Airmen filled the flightline and 10 F-15s from the 48th Fighter Wing took to the skies in Bulgaria when Sentry Gold started here.

The exercise is designed to provide the U.S. Air Force and Bulgarian air force the opportunity to learn from each other and increase their respective NATO interoperability.

The Bulgarian air force flies MiG-21s and MiG-29s. The opportunity to see these aircraft up close and personal is something most pilots will never experience.

"We simulate fighting MiGs all the time," said Lt. Col. Skip Pribyl, 493rd Fighter Squadron and deployed commander. "Being here allows us to really see them in action."

Flying in Bulgaria provides other opportunities Liberty Warriors don't have back at RAF Lakenheath, England.

"Training here allows us to fight over terrain, and that allows us to test some defensive measures we can't test over water," said Colonel Pribyl.

For the Bulgarians, the exercise brings their home-station training to a new level.

"Sentry Gold increases the realism of our combat training," said Bulgarian air force Lt. Col. Yuri Lukanov, Graf Ignatievo flight operations and scheduling chief. "We get to see how a unit with a tested and proven combat history does things."

Liberty Warriors here are doing more than just learning about flying. They're also building partnerships with the Bulgarian air force.

"These are our NATO partners and allies, and being here allows us to support their continued NATO integration and defense reform initiatives," said Col. Scott Reed, 48th FW vice commander.

The building partnership capacity between the two air forces goes beyond the cockpit. All aspects of combat support, from maintainers and air traffic controllers to flight schedulers and life support specialists, will work hand in hand during the exercise.

"The Bulgarians have an emerging capability in NATO, and this allows us to strengthen that capability," said Colonel Pribyl. "Ultimately these are guys we could be tasked to fight with side by side."

Colonel Lukanov agreed.

"We don't deploy outside our country's borders, so this allows us to study the most efficient ways to move our combat units," Colonel Lukanov said. "Training together with [U.S. Air Forces in Europe] and the U.S. pilots moves us closer to NATO standards."