Bulgaria Receives Second F-16 Fighter Jet

The second ordered F-16 fighter jet from Lockheed Martin has arrived in Bulgaria.

The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Bulgaria reported on this.

The F-16C Block 70 fighter jet landed on Sunday at 3:26 p.m. at the 3rd Fighter Air Base of the Bulgarian Air Force in the village of Graf Ignatievo.

The second aircraft was assigned the tail number “313” and is configured as a single-seat fighter jet.

Commander of the Air Force Major General Nikolay Rusev, Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov, Colonel Metodi Orlov, Acting Commander of the Third Air Base, and airbase personnel attended the ceremony.

Overall, Bulgaria has placed two orders for F-16 Block 70 fighter jets: in 2019, for the purchase of eight aircraft valued at $512 million, and in 2022, for an additional eight aircraft worth $1.3 billion.

The first F-16D two-seat fighter jet was delivered to Bulgaria on January 31, 2025, at the Greenville plant, and the aircraft’s flight to Bulgaria took place in April 2025.

Like in this case, the aircraft landed at the Third Fighter Air Base of the Bulgarian Air Force.

After a short period of operation, at the end of April to early May 2025, issues with the first delivered aircraft were reported. It was later revealed that these problems could have been avoided if the proposal for guaranteed around-the-clock delivery of spare parts from the manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, had been accepted.

Instead, Bulgaria opted for a more cost-effective agreement, which unfortunately resulted in a shortage of some critical components. Nonetheless, the aircraft will remain flight-capable and fully operational following necessary repairs.

Lockheed Martin plans to deliver all eight aircraft from the first batch by the end of 2025, with the remaining jets expected to arrive by 2027.

Beyond the aircraft themselves, Bulgaria will receive advanced armaments—including AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles and GBU-39/B bombs—along with simulators and comprehensive training for 32 pilots and over 100 engineers and technicians, with a total value exceeding $150 million. The Graf Ignatievo air base will also undergo extensive upgrades across 49 facilities, including hangars, storage areas, and mobile shelters, to ensure full compliance with NATO standards. This modernization will facilitate the retirement of outdated MiG-29 and Su-25 aircraft and significantly bolster Bulgaria’s air defense capabilities.