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• Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest guideline, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Damian Bonev (talk) 00:06, 8 February 2026 (UTC)

(Bulgarian: Борис Иванов Бонев; 14 December 1938 – 19 February 2025) was a Bulgarian Air Force major general, aerospace engineer, professor, and scientific administrator. He specialized in aerodynamics and aircraft engineering and held senior leadership roles in Bulgaria’s military aviation education system and national space research institutions. Bonev was the founding director of Bulgaria’s central space research institute within the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and contributed to the organization of national and international aerospace research programs.[1][2]

Boris Ivanov Bonev was born on 14 December 1938 in Varna, Bulgaria.[1][3] He completed his secondary technical and military-oriented education during a period of expansion in Bulgaria’s aviation sector.

From 1956 to 1959 he studied at the People’s Military Technical School in Gorna Oryahovitsa, where he trained as an aircraft and engine technician and received an officer’s commission upon graduation.[1][3]

He later continued his higher education at the Military Academy in Sofia and subsequently at the N. Zhukovsky Military Air Engineering Academy in Moscow, where he completed advanced studies in aerospace engineering and earned a doctoral degree in technical sciences.[2][3]

Between 1959 and 1963 Bonev served in operational aviation units of the Bulgarian Air Force as an engineering and technical officer responsible for aircraft and engine systems support and maintenance oversight.[1] After completing his advanced academic training, he moved into research and teaching within the military aviation education system.[2]

Bonev joined the faculty of the Georgi Benkovski Air Force Academy, where he lectured in aerodynamics, flight mechanics, and aircraft engineering disciplines.[2][3] He founded and became the first head of the Aerodynamics Department at the academy.[2]

He later served in senior academic leadership roles, including Deputy Chief for Academic and Scientific Affairs, where he coordinated research and postgraduate training activities.[2]

In 1981 he was awarded the degree Doctor of Technical Sciences, and in 1983 he was appointed Professor of Aerodynamics of Aircraft.[2][3]

Bonev remained in the Bulgarian Air Force officer corps while holding academic and scientific leadership posts. In 1988 he was promoted to the rank of Major General.[2] His promotion was associated with his contributions to military education and aerospace research administration.

In 1987 Bonev became the founding director of Bulgaria’s national institute for space research within the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, today known as the Space Research and Technology Institute (SRTI–BAS).[2][4]

Under his direction, the institute consolidated research groups in space science, aerospace technology, and remote sensing. Its activities included space instrumentation, Earth observation, and aerospace engineering research.[2][4]

He also held leadership and organizational roles connected with the Bulgarian Aerospace Agency and related national scientific bodies.[2]

Bonev represented Bulgaria in international space research cooperation frameworks and served as a national representative to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS).[2]

He coordinated Bulgarian participation in several international space research programs and experiments. He led the national coordination of the Bulgarian space research project known as “Shipka,” connected with Bulgaria’s later cosmonaut mission and associated scientific experiment programs.[2]

Bonev authored and co-authored more than 250 scientific and technical publications in aerodynamics, aircraft engineering, and aerospace systems.[2][3] His work included journal articles, conference papers, technical studies, and teaching materials used in military and technical higher education.

He supervised doctoral and postgraduate researchers and participated in scientific councils and dissertation committees.[2]

Bonev received professional and academic distinctions from Bulgarian military and educational institutions. He was awarded the honorary title Doctor honoris causa by the National Military University “Vasil Levski.”[2]

Boris Ivanov Bonev died on 19 February 2025 after a prolonged illness.[1]

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