Bulgaria - NVL builds MMPV 90 for the Black Sea

The Bulgarian navy has been gradually replacing its outdated Soviet-era vessels with Western models for several years now. Since the beginning of November, "Hrabri", the first of the two multipurpose patrol vessels MMPV 90 (Multipurpose Modular Patrol Vessel 90), has been undergoing sea trials off the Black Sea coast. Built according to plans by Naval Vessels Lürssen (NVL), the first steel cut took place at the end of 2021 and the keel was laid in mid-2022 at the MTG Dolphin shipyard in Ezerovo near Varna. The "Hrabri" was also launched there a year later and has since been fitted out. The ship is equipped with MBDA VL MICA missiles in vertical launchers for short and medium-range air defence. The 90 metre long ship (2,300 tonnes) has hangars and a large flight deck suitable for the operation of Bulgarian Eurocopter AS565MB Panther helicopters or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). NVL Group's multi-role design allows the MMPV to be configured for patrol missions, submarine hunting, diver support or rescue missions via various mission modules and containerised payloads.