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Sofia: Lockheed Martin has solemnly delivered the first F-16 Block 70 multi-role fighter jet to the Bulgarian Air Force.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense reported on this. The handover ceremony for the first aircraft, which began flight testing in October 2024, took place at the plant in Greenville, South Carolina, on January 31, 2025.

The first two new fighter jets are due to arrive in Bulgaria in late March or early April 2025. Production of the third ordered F-16 has also been completed. However, it will remain at the Lockheed Martin plant in Greenville to train Bulgarian technicians.

The remaining five aircraft, which were ordered under the first $1.3 billion contract signed by the governments of Bulgaria and the United States in 2019, are also on the assembly line and are due to be delivered to Bulgaria by the end of 2025. The original plan was to deliver the aircraft in 2023-24, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays in production, which delayed the delivery until 2025.

“The F-16 Block 70 is a completely new fourth-generation aircraft with enormous capabilities. It is a multi-role fighter jet, unlike the Bulgarian MiG-29 and Su-25 that we have in service,” Bulgarian Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov shared.

According to the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense, the second contract to purchase eight more F-16 Block 70 aircraft, which was signed in 2022, will be implemented by the end of 2027.

The Minister also noted that despite the problems with the training of pilots, technicians and infrastructure to receive the new aircraft, their training is on schedule.

“The training program is part of the contract and is important to us. We buy not only aircraft, simulators, weapons and ammunition. We have also included flight crew training worth over $150 million,” he said.

5 Bulgarian pilots will be trained for the first two aircraft. In total, 32 pilots are to be trained – 14 within the first contract and 18 within the second.

Regarding the Graf Ignatievo air base in Bulgaria, which has been causing concern due to delays in preparations to receive the F-16, Zapryanov said: “Everything is being restored there: we are restoring everything at the airbase. We are confident that the facilities that require certification to accept the aircraft will be completed.”

The construction of the aircraft shelters will continue through 2025, after the first two aircraft arrive.

“We have a one-year contract to build 16 shelters for all 16 aircraft. Two more mobile hangars will be built, as well as other facilities. These will allow the airbase to be fully ready to store the aircraft in accordance with Lockheed Martin’s requirements,” he said.