Bulgarian Cougars

摘要

In March 2004, Bulgaria became a NATO member, as a former member of the Warsaw Pact, the Bulgarski Voennovazdyshini Sili (Bulgarian Air Force - BuAF), had to adapt to new procedures and systems before it could become effective within the organisation. The restructuring of the BuAF to achieve NATO interoperability gathered pace in January 2005 when the Bulgarian Defence Minister signed a €360 million contract with Eurocopter for 12 AS532UL/AL Cougar and six AS565MB Panther helicopters.