The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense has announced that the country’s first Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 (F-16V) fighter jet arrived on April 2 at the 3rd Air Base of the Bulgarian Air Force, located in Graf Ignatievo.
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The delivered aircraft is a two-seat F-16D Block 70, with serial number MW-01, US Air Force registration 20-6001, and Bulgarian tail number “301”. The jet was officially handed over to Bulgaria on January 31 and marks a milestone in the modernization of the country’s military aviation.
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The official ceremony to induct the aircraft into the Air Force is scheduled for April 12, at Graf Ignatievo Air Base.
The delivery is part of an intergovernmental agreement signed between Bulgaria and the United States in 2019 and 2022 under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The contract includes the acquisition of 16 F-16V Block 70 fighter jets — 10 F-16C single-seat variants and 6 F-16D two-seat variants — for a total of approximately USD 2.4 billion.
The first eight aircraft are expected to be delivered in 2025, and the remaining eight in 2027, reinforcing Bulgaria’s efforts to modernize its air defense capabilities with state-of-the-art equipment.
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Source and images: Bulgarian Ministry of Defense, X @BulgariaMod. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
