SOFIA, July 12 (Xinhua) -- The naval exercise "Breeze 2018" involving North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members will kick off Friday in Bulgaria's Black Sea zone, the Bulgarian Navy said in a statement Thursday.
As many as 25 combat and auxiliary ships and cutters, one submarine, four aircraft, five helicopters and 2,340 servicemen will participate in the 12-day drill, the statement said.
They belong to the naval forces of Bulgaria, Belgium, Greece, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, the United States, Turkey, France, the Netherlands, Standing NATO Maritime Group Two and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group TWO from NATO's Response Force, it said.
The exercise will be carried out according to NATO standards, it added.
The Bulgarian Navy held the Breeze drill for the first time in 1993, with the participation of three visiting warships, including a U.S. frigate and two Turkish minesweepers.
