Bulgaria gets first new F-16 fighter jet from U.S.

Bulgaria has taken delivery of the first of 16 new F-16 Block 70 fighter jets from U.S. military contractor Lockheed Martin, the defence ministry in Sofia said.

The two-seater combat training aircraft will enter service after completing technical and flight acceptance procedures with the Bulgarian Air Force, the defence ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

A second F-16 Block 70 remains in the U.S. for training Bulgarian engineering and technical personnel. That aircraft and the remaining six jets under Bulgaria’s first contract with Lockheed Martin will be delivered in stages by the end of 2025.Eight more aircraft, purchased under a second contract, will bring Bulgaria’s fleet to a full F-16 Block 70 squadron by the end of 2027.

Alongside the modernisation of its fighter and helicopter aviation, Bulgaria is upgrading its air defence capabilities through contracts for a new anti-aircraft missile system and three-coordinate digital radars.

In 2019, Bulgaria’s parliament ratified a deal with the U.S. worth a total of $1.256 billion (1.16 billion euro) for the purchase of eight new F-16 Block 70 fighter jets and their maintenance. Three years later, parliament approved a contract for the acquisition of a second batch of eight new F-16 aircraft from the U.S. for a total of $1.296 billion.
($ = 0.9257 euro)