Bulgaria received its first F-16 fighter jet

Bulgaria received its first F-16 Block 70 aircraft at the Lockheed Martin plant in Greenville, USA, the day before.

This was reported by “European Pravda” with reference to BTA.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazyk noted that this continues the progressive development of Bulgaria's strategic defense partnership with the United States.

With the acquisition of the F-16 Block 70, the Bulgarian Air Force will receive new capabilities that will allow them to achieve full interoperability with NATO and EU allies, the Bulgarian government said.

The F-16 Block 70 aircraft was officially handed over to Bulgaria in the presence of the management of the manufacturer Lockheed Martin, members of the US Congress and Senate, representatives of the US Department of Defense and the US Air Force, as well as local authorities in the state of South Carolina.

Under two contracts signed in 2019 and 2022, Bulgaria will receive a total of 16 fighters.

The project is being implemented in two stages, each of which involves the purchase of 8 F-16 Block 70 aircraft.

It is expected that the first two multi-role fighters will arrive in Bulgaria in April 2025. The remaining six aircraft should arrive by the end of 2025, and the last eight – by the end of 2027.

A total of 32 Bulgarian pilots will be trained in the United States under two contracts.

Training of engineering and technical personnel has already begun, and it is planned to train more than 100 specialists in accordance with the schedule for the aircraft's arrival in Bulgaria.

In November last year, Bulgaria complained that it had neither the infrastructure nor the pilots ready even to use the F-16.