Threat Assessment: The Homeless Mercenaries

August 1st, 2037:
Threat Assessment: The Homeless Mercenaries
By: The King
The name was recently given to them by the Bulgarian press as they've proven to be a societal bane and black mark to Bulgaria's majority wanting peace above all else. The "Homeless" part comes from the fact that they operate using extremely antiquated fighter jets, and also because their own country has turned its back on them and consider them nothing more than a nuisance, giving Bulgaria a bad name. Now that the press is taking notice, the Bulgarian President has asked that we do a threat assessment on the group and also that we keep an eye out when proceeding through or near Bulgarian airspace.
Kiril Angelov is the leader of the Homeless Mercenaries. He just so also happens to be the son of Bulgarian President, Nikolay Angelov, except they have very different standing on political affairs. Kiril still believes in continuing to support their military for fear of future conflict. This recorded rant from Angelov says it all: "The Consortium is still the greatest threat not only to Bulgaria, but to the way of life held within all adult, or should I say more established, nations. Their attempt to harvest global support only highlights my point, and that is the Consortium should not be allowed to freely step into situations that have nothing to do with them. Excuse me but who the hell are they to decide what's right and what's wrong within the borders of fully capable countries that can take care of themselves? They have no right!"
During the Resource Wars and for a few years following, Bulgaria was well known for their superior Air Force - in quality, not numbers. They held a formidable contingent of highly advanced aircraft but their real strength was in their extremely well trained pilots. Kiril was a General in the Bulgarian Air Force during this time and through his brutal and often deemed insane tactics, easily secured their position in history as a force to be reckoned with in the air. Upon the end of the Resource Wars however, President Angelov gutted the Air Force by selling off most the fleet and retiring the majority of its pilots. Soon after he began speaking of a future where Bulgaria no longer required a military and he was swiftly praised for his attitude similar to many other countries during this time; such as Japan, Australia, and Canada. Kiril was infuriated by this decision but stayed in service out of family ties, albeit mostly in a figurehead position.
It was our presence and talks with President Angelov which unfortunately became the final straw for Kiril, and so he left the military and formed a nameless group of mercenary pilots. The group consists of ex-Bulgarian military pilots who have been rejected by their country and released from military service with very little compensation for their years of service.
It's estimated that Kiril has connections with over a dozen airfields throughout Bulgaria, Turkey, and Romania. Because of these connections, and because of Kiril's well-known paranoia, he has successfully managed to hide his fleet with relative ease since their inception. Due to his prolific knowledge of crime groups throughout Eastern Europe, it is estimated that he could make for an extremely powerful ally if his opinion of the Consortium could be changed.
Something else to note is Kiril's insistence on using pre-Resource War era fighter jets. He's been known to say that they are not only extremely cheap and easy to procure, but most countries don't care when they go missing. For his purposes (attacking vessels for money or politically driven reasons, forcing transport vessels to land before looting them, harassing the Consortium whenever possible, etc) these older jets do the trick just fine. He thinks he'd have a much harder time staying under the radar of more powerful countries if he had more modern vessels at his disposal.
Due to the low-tech nature of this group and its leaders penchant for over-the-top spectacle, the Homeless Mercenaries have received a Threat Level of 2.
Official Title: The Rampant Lions
Unofficial Title/Nickname: The Homeless Mercenaries
Formed: January, 2036 (two months after Bulgaria gave their support to the Consortium)
Threat Level: 2
Strength: Approx. 30-50 pilots
Affiliations: Receives minimal support from anti-Western groups throughout Eastern Europe and are purportedly (though never proven) hired by heavy hitter groups for assassination jobs in and around Europe.
Planes in Fleet (Approx.):
F-35 Lightning II (40) - Stolen from Switzerland after they'd purchased about sixty of them for dirt cheap, from the Americans. This theft was very soon after Kiril left the Bulgarian military and is ultimately what helped kick-start the Homeless Mercs. Easily the best fighters in Kiril's fleet and are only used in high numbers on important missions.
Northrop F-5 (20) - Unknown where or how they acquired these but it's not very surprising since dozens of countries have these antiquated vessels stockpiled in old bunkers and airbases.
AIDC F-CK-1 (20) - Purchased from the Chinese for dirt cheap.
F-22 Raptors (10) - Actually purchased from a criminal group based in Canada, after they'd stolen the Raptors from an American transport headed to Alaska. 
Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (5) - Taken from an Indian Military transport vessel.
Boeing F-15SE Silent Eagle (5) - Unknown where or how they acquired these; suspected as being used for the aerial assassination of British Parliament Member Paul Liberstein on July 12th, 2037.
Boeing C-17 Globemaster III (1) - Reported stolen from an Australian "plane junkyard" in late 2037, and was later photographed along with a large contingent of their F-35's at an airbase in Turkey. Before authorities could respond, the vessel disappeared. The actual purpose to the Homeless Mercenaries acquiring such a large military transport vessel is as yet unknown.
Category:Rampant Lions
Category:Kiril Angelov
Category:Nikolay Angelov