/ world today news/ The flight of President Rumen Radev on the “Rafal” aircraft will be a test for both the NSO and the French state. The Rafale aircraft is a two-seater. In one cabin of the fighter will be President Rumen Radev, in the other – a Frenchman. “There is no way the state will let you on a foreign plane to fly alone,” the president explained the unusual situation to Epicenter.bg.
For the first time, a Bulgarian will pilot the “Rafal” – one of the best modern multi-purpose fighters, which is in service with the French Air Force. On Mount Nikulden, on December 6, 2017, Bulgarian President and combat ace Rumen Radev will do this during his official visit to France at the invitation of his colleague Emmanuel Macron.
The test is serious, because this will not be a flight for show – in the sky of France, the Bulgarian head of state will make real “catch-ups”, demonstrate his skills in “air battles”. It will be officially included in the schedule of the Air Force of France. And hides unknowns.
Radev’s flight on the French Rafale superfighter will last nearly an hour and a half – a time during which the Bulgarian NSO will not have control over the security of the most important person for whose life it bears direct responsibility. This already puts the service on edge, because none of the guards can get into the fighter with Radev, and none of them can withstand the huge load that the top pilots have.
The director of the NSO, Lieutenant General Angel Antonov, has already commented with Rumen Radev that “this flight is a challenge for national security”. The guards who guard our statesmen have long been trained for their hobbies. At the time, they were used to the long mountain treks of Petar Stoyanov and Ivan Kostov, to the diving under water of Sergey Stanishev, to the hunting trips of Georgi Parvanov, and the football emotions of Boyko Borisov are not trials for them. Radev now throws them into the unknown.
What is done in such cases? The situation was “worked out” in June of this year. during the Bulgarian-American flight training “Thracian Eagle 2017”. Then President Rumen Radev flew an F-15C fighter jet at the invitation of the commander of the US Air Force in Europe and Africa and commander of the NATO Allied Command, General Todd Walters.
Responsibility for his security during this flight was officially assumed by the United States. In the second cabin was an American ace who “secured” the life of the Bulgarian head of state. Now in France it will be the same. The Rafale aircraft is a two-seater. In one cabin of the fighter will be Radev, in the other – a Frenchman. The control of the machine is exactly the same in both cabins.
“There is no way the state will let you on a foreign plane to make a flight alone,” the president explained to Epicenter.bg the unusual situation. So, while on board the Rafale, France is officially responsible for the life and security of the Bulgarian head of state. And for Rumen Radev, the flight is a huge responsibility, a matter of professional honor and, of course, an act of statesmanship.
“This is not only a gesture on Macron’s part, but a pragmatic policy, because this aircraft can be included, I insist that it be included now under the new EU requirements for a fighter jet. There are three European aircraft – the EU includes the Eurofighter and the Gripen, but does not include the Rafale. I believe that the Rafale should also be included, the head of state emphasized to Epicenter.bg.
“Rafal” is a multi-purpose fighter, made without American participation, from the latest generation of the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault. It develops a maximum speed of 1912 km/h, with a flight distance of 2000 km. And to those who will try to accept this as lobbying, the head of state now answers:
“No, this is not lobbying, on the contrary! We expand the fan. The more the merrier.”
And I recall that in 2011-2012 we sent offers to 9 countries for 15 types of aircraft – both for the new F16 and F18, and for the Rafale, and for the Eurofighter, and for the Gripen, and for new and old. The price of the offers for the new fighter jets with the armament, other than the Gripen, started from 2.5 billion euros upwards. From there it is known what happened to get to the three offers… But that topic has already been discussed. And for the result – we will wait for it in time.
President Macron will watch the flight of President Radev at the Elysée Palace. The next day, the two have joint meetings. A few days ago, Rumen Radev passed an aeromedical commission at the VMA, as Epicenter.bg first reported, and showed amazing indicators – blood 120/80, heart rate 47 – during a full functional examination. The medical commission compared his current data with the last examination he did in 2012 and it turned out that today’s indicators of Rumen Radev are better than those five years ago.
“I do sports. I don’t play football. I have my own methods that I have developed over the years so that with less time there is a greater effect,” the president explained the “secret” of his perfect shape. It is clear that Radev’s passion for airplanes will never die.
“I am grateful to the profession that gave me everything. This is how I think constructively about the future,” the president admits and shares the feelings that a person experiences when he is alone in the sky.
“For thousands of years, people have been instilled with the fear of heights. It is embedded in our subconscious. But, rising in the plane, if you do not manage to crush the feeling of fear, to abstract yourself from it, to turn the fear of heights into simple readings of numbers on the dashboard, you are lost. And after you overcome this fear, comes the beauty you see above – you are struck by incredible views: sunsets, stars, clouds and you “swim” among them. An incredible feeling. But you also have to crush the sense of beauty and focus on the numbers on the dashboard. So there is no place for beauty or fear in heaven – you live in the abstraction of a digital world. Emotions are nipped in the bud. Otherwise you can’t survive, let alone win!”
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