The first comment on the case of our first F-16 was made by Susan Falatko - acting head of the Embassy of the United States of America in our country.
Exclusively to NOVA, quoted by dariknews.bg, she assured that the eight fighters, which are expected to arrive by the end of the year, are in full working order and Washington guarantees this.
In April, the first American F-16 fighter was officially welcomed in our country, and weeks later it became clear that the plane would not participate in the military parade.
„What I understand - after the fighter landed on Bulgarian soil, a problem was identified, which is already being resolves. This is not unusual. All air forces around the world conduct similar tests when they receive a new aircraft. And if there is a problem, they resolve it. However, it is important to know that the United States stands by Bulgaria to ensure that the eight fighters are fit for purpose and that they will be able to fulfill their mission to the Bulgarian people”, Falatko pointed out.
Each of the fighters produced overseas undergoes thorough checks, the Ministry of Defense assured.
„Lockheed Martin has its own internal testing and checks. Then the US Air Force has its own methodologies and checks. Finally, the plane flies over and the Bulgarian Air Force carries out its technical checks. The lessons learned from this, which was found to be a technical problem that turned a fly into a giant blimp - additional measures will be taken regarding testing according to all the rules applied to other equipment manufactured in the USA”, stated Minister Zapryanov.
While waiting for the technical malfunction of the first F-16 to be fixed, Bulgaria is already looking at the second fighter from the squadron.
“We have not yet specified the details - this is still in progress. However, we know for sure that all eight combat aircraft are expected on Bulgarian soil by the end of the year”, assured Falatko.
“The United States considers Bulgaria a very good friend and a NATO ally. "As you know, President Donald Trump has called on our NATO allies to shoulder a little more of the defense burden in Europe - and Bulgaria has answered that call," emphasized the acting US Embassy in Bulgaria.