Bulgaria officially received its first F-16 Block 70 aircraft in the USA. This was announced by the government press service.
„Bulgaria received the first F-16 Block 70 aircraft at the „Lockheed Martin“ production base in Greenville, USA. With this, our strategic partnership with the United States in the field of defense continues its upward development", emphasizes Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. "With the acquisition of the multi-role F-16 Block 70 fighters, capable of performing a wide range of tasks, our combat aviation will build new capabilities with which the Air Force will achieve full interoperability with NATO and EU allies. The Bulgarian F-16 Block 70 aircraft was officially handed over of our country in the presence of the management of the manufacturing company “Lockheed Martin“, representatives of the US Congress and Senate, the US Department of Defense and the US Air Force, as well as local authorities in the state of South Carolina”, write from the Ministry of Defense.
A total of 16 fighters will be received by our country under the two contracts concluded in 2019 and 2022. The project is being implemented in two stages, each of which envisages the acquisition of 8 F-16 Block 70 aircraft. The first two multi-role fighters are scheduled to arrive in Bulgaria in April this year. The remaining 6 F-16 Block 70 aircraft are expected to arrive from the US to Bulgaria by the end of 2025, and the second - by the end of 2027, the government press service recalls.
A total of 32 pilots under the two contracts will be trained in the United States. The training of the engineering and technical staff has already begun, and it is planned that over 100 specialists will be trained according to the schedule for the arrival of the aircraft in Bulgaria.