These may be the best Mig-21, Mig-29 and Su-25 air-to-air images you’ve ever seen

October 19, 2015 Military Aviation
David Cenciotti

Fantastic is an understament in this case.

Last week, aviation photographer Anton Balakchiev was among a group of reporters who were given the really unique chance to take air-to-air photographs of the last operational Bulgarian Air Force MiG-21 Fishbed jets.

The type should be retired at the end of this year after 52 years of active service in BuAF.

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The pictures were taken from a Bulgarian C-27J Spartan during an epic flight above southern Bulgaria.

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Besides the Mig-21s, Balakchiev was able to shoot some awesome pictures of Bulgarian and Polish MiG-29 Fulcrums as well as Bulgarian Su-25 Frogfoots.

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The quality of the images taken by Balakchiev is truly impressive as the selection you can find in this post shows (visit Anton’s website to see all the photographs he took during the air-to-air photo session).

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Image credit: Anton Balakchiev

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About David Cenciotti
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David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

6 Comments

  1. Those Bulgarian MiG’s look pretty beaten up, the Frogfoot’s & Polish Fulcrums are nice though.

  2. That first photo of the -21’s is jaw dropping. I would have to agree, the finest airborne shot of that aircraft I have ever seen. Amazing stuff, thanks

  3. On the Mig-29 UBT front seat. The white hood. If I saw this on a US aircraft, I’d say it was a nuclear flash hood. Anyone know if that’s what it is, or if it has some other function?

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