site.btaTwo F-16 Block 70 Fighter Jets En Route to Bulgaria

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced during question time in Parliament here on Friday that two F-16 Block 70 fighter jets are currently in Portugal and expected to arrive in Bulgaria any time now. The delivery is part of an order from Lockheed Martin, with four more jets scheduled for delivery by the end of 2025.

Bulgaria received its first two F-16s earlier this year, in April and June. Under a 2019 agreement with the US, this country is set to receive a total of eight jets by year’s end. A second batch of eight fighters is expected by the end of 2027, forming a full squadron for the Bulgarian Air Force.

Combat duty for the F-16s is scheduled to begin in mid-2026. Currently, six Bulgarian pilots are fully trained, with 15 more in training.

Earlier in August, Deputy Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov noted that the Ministry cannot provide exact arrival dates for the remaining aircraft due to complex U.S. flight scheduling.

A minor fuel leak was recently discovered in one of the two-seat F-16D Block 70 jets, and a Lockheed Martin representative is expected to address the issue, the Defence Minister said in end-September.