Bulgarian Navy 🇧🇬
Key facts
| Official Name | Bulgarian Navy |
| Country | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria |
| World rank | #52 |
| Ships in service | 20 (as of 2026) |
| Total ships | 45 |
| Naval ensign |
|
Number of active ships by category
| Ship category | Active | |
|---|---|---|
| Mine Warfare ships | 17 | |
| Support ships | 16 | |
| Frigates | 6 | |
| Corvettes | 3 | |
| Amphibious ships | 2 | |
| Other ships | 1 | |
Global Navy Index
| 🚢 Capital Ships | 0 | Aircraft carriers & cruisers (highest weight) |
| ⚓ Major Combatants | 5 | Destroyers, submarines & frigates |
| 🚤 Light Combatants | 5 | Corvettes & amphibious vessels |
| ⛵ Minor Vessels | 10 | Patrol, coastal & mine warfare |
| 📊 Total Active | 20 | Combat vessels (auxiliaries excluded) |
Methodology: Square root scaled index weighted by ship combat capability. Capital ships score highest due to force projection capability. Auxiliary vessels are excluded.
Overview
Bulgarian maritime strategy centers on the sovereignty of territorial waters and the management of the Exclusive Economic Zone within the Black Sea. National defense doctrine prioritizes maritime domain awareness and the protection of commercial shipping routes. As a member of NATO and the European Union, the navy integrates into collective defense structures, focusing on the security of the Alliance's eastern maritime flank and the prevention of regional maritime threats.
The surface fleet is organized around frigates and corvettes. Surface combatants include *Wielingen*-class frigates, which provide the bulk of the force's blue-water capability, alongside *Pauk*-class and *Tarantul*-class corvettes. Mine warfare assets are a priority for the force, maintained through *Tripartite*-class minehunters and smaller minesweeping vessels. The navy does not operate a submarine force, having transitioned to an exclusively surface and aviation-based structure. Naval aviation is provided by a squadron of AS565MB Panther helicopters utilized for maritime patrol, anti-submarine warfare, and search and rescue operations.
Domestic naval construction is centered at the MTG Dolphin shipyard in Varna, which serves as the primary site for the Multipurpose Modular Patrol Vessel (MMPV) program. This initiative, conducted in collaboration with the German NVL Group, involves the construction of two modular combatants designed for multi-domain operations. The lead ship, *Hrabri*, reached initial operational milestones in 2025, while the second vessel, *Smeli*, continued its construction and outfitting phases. These vessels are equipped with integrated combat management systems and launch cells for anti-ship and air defense missiles. Beyond new construction, the navy relies on foreign procurement for specialized assets, including recent acquisitions of mine countermeasures vessels from the Netherlands and Belgium.
Detailed inventory of Bulgarian Navy
Amphibious ships
| Type | Class | Ship Name | Hull Number | Status | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LCM | Vydra | (2 ships) | Active | - |
Corvettes
| Type | Class | Ship Name | Hull Number | Status | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrol craft torpedo / ASW corvette | Pauk | Reshitelni | 13 | Active | - |
| Pauk | Bodri | 14 | Active | - | |
| Fast patrol craft / Missile corvette | Tarantul | Malniya | 101 | Active | - |
Frigates
| Type | Class | Ship Name | Hull Number | Status | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-submarine frigate | Koni | Smeli | 11 | Active | 1989 |
| Multi-role frigate | MMPV 90 | Hrabri | 12 | Active | 2025 |
| Wielingen | Drazki | 41 | Active | 2005 | |
| Wielingen | Verni | 42 | Active | - | |
| Wielingen | Gordi | 43 | Active | - | |
| MMPV 90 | Smeli | 13 | Fitting Out | - |
Mine Warfare ships
| Type | Class | Ship Name | Hull Number | Status | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minesweeper | Olya | Kapitan-Leytenant Kiril Minkov | 53 | Active | - |
| Olya | Balik | 54 | Active | - | |
| Olya | Kapitan Leytenant Evstati Vinarov | 55 | Active | - | |
| Olya | Kapitan Parvi Rang Dimitar Paskalev | 56 | Active | - | |
| Minehunter | Sonya | Briz | 61 | Active | - |
| Sonya | Shkval | 62 | Active | - | |
| Sonya | Priboi | 63 | Active | - | |
| Tripartite | Tsibar | 32 | Active | - | |
| Tripartite | Mesta | 31 | Active | - | |
| Tripartite | Struma | 33 | Active | - | |
| Tripartite | (4 ships) | Ordered | - | ||
| Tripartite | (3 ships) | Planned | 2027 |
Other ships
| Type | Class | Ship Name | Hull Number | Status | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Training ship | - | 421 | Non Commissioned | - |
Support ships
| Type | Class | Ship Name | Hull Number | Status | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tugboat | - | 211 | Support | - | |
| - | 410 | Support | - | ||
| Cutter | Project 160 | 121, 215, 216, 312, 313 (5 ships) | Support | - | |
| Project 245 | 223, 323 (2 ships) | Support | - | ||
| Fireboat | Project 250 | Aheloy | 321 | Support | - |
| Cutter | Project 612 | 231, 331 (2 ships) | Support | - | |
| Tanker | Project 650 | Balchik | 203 | Support | - |
| Project 650 | Akin | 303 | Support | - | |
| Rescue vessel | Proteo | Proteo | 224 | Support | - |
| Degaussing ship | Type 1799 | Kapitan I rang Dimitar Dobrev | 206 | Support | 1988 |