SOFIA, May 29 (Xinhua) -- A military transport aviation flight exercise, involving four European Union (EU) member states, kicked off in Bulgaria, the country's Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Tuesday.

C-27J Spartan aircraft and crews from Bulgaria, Italy, Lithuania and Romania, as well as Bulgarian soldiers from the Special Forces and the Navy and teams from the Military Medical Academy in Sofia would participate in the drill codenamed "European Spartan 18," the statement said.

During the drill, which will last until June 8, the participants would perform tasks such as low and extremely low altitude flights, airborne drops, and exchange of experience in ground handling, the statement said.

Achieving greater interoperability of the Bulgarian Air Force for participation in multinational operations with allied countries, enhancing staff preparedness and improvement of the procedures for comprehensive logistic support were among the goals of the exercise, the statement said.

The drill is a part of the official calendar of events under the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU this half-year, the statement added.

Bulgaria is a member of the EU since 2007.