On January 31, the new plant of
Lockheed Martin
in Greenville, South Carolina, a ceremony was held to mark the handover of the first F-16 Block 70 fighter jet to the Bulgarian Air Force.
The occasion was marked in the presence of Bulgarian Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov, who emphasized: “This is a historic event of key importance for the development of the Bulgarian Air Force. This procurement and Bulgaria’s partnership with the United States are crucial for strengthening security in the Black Sea region and on the
NATO
-eastern flank.”
Greg Ulmer, President of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, added: “This momentous occasion once again underscores the strong partnership between Lockheed Martin, the United States, Bulgaria and our allies.”
Among the high-ranking guests were the Bulgarian Deputy Minister of Defense Adelina Nikolova, the Deputy Chief of Defense Lieutenant General Krasimir Kanev, the Chief of the Air Force Major General Dimitar Petrov and the Director of Armaments Policy, Colonel Vladislav Shekerov.
Ten single-seaters, six two-seaters
The official photos from the ceremony show a two-seat version of the F-16D with tail number 301. The manufacturer had previously published a picture of a single-seat F-16C fighter with tail number 311 – the first Bulgarian F-16 to be flown.
Sofia has a total of 16 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70 fighter aircraft (
-> 50 years of F-16s and no end in sight
): ten F-16C Block 70s and six F-16D Block 70s. The first eight were ordered in July 2019 and a further eight in April 2022. The contracts, worth a total of almost 2.2 billion euros, not only include the aircraft, but also the associated equipment, armaments and support. The training of the first 32 pilots and technicians is also included at a cost of more than 140 million euros.
Bulgaria’s first F-16 completed its maiden flight in October 2023. After Slovakia, which has
which has already received its first aircraft
Bulgaria will be the second European country to put the modernized Block 70 variant into service.
Progress in production
During the ceremony, company representatives emphasized that Lockheed Martin is currently producing 117 F-16 Block 70/72 jets in Greenville, 23 of which have already been delivered to international partners such as Slovakia and Bahrain. So far, three Bulgarian aircraft have been completed: one single-seat F-16C and two twin-seat F-16Ds. Two of these will be delivered to Bulgaria in April, while one will remain in Greenville to train the ground personnel there. A total of around 100 people will be trained on the new aircraft. The remaining five jets from the first contract are currently in production; all eight are to be delivered by the end of the year. The aircraft from the second contract will follow by 2027. This means that the days of the Bulgarian MiG-29 are also coming to an end.
Extensive preparations
Renovation work on the airbase where the new F-16s will be stationed is running in parallel with the delivery. A total of 49 infrastructure projects are being implemented there, including the construction of 16 aircraft shelters and two mobile hangars. The construction work should be completed by 2025 to ensure that the base meets the operational requirements of Lockheed Martin and the Bulgarian Air Force.
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