The first two of Sofia‘s original order of eight F-16 Block 70 Fighting Falcons were officially handed over in late January via American defense contractor Lockheed Martin.
NATO member Bulgaria is one of Europe‘s poorest nations, especially compared to Western Europe, which has impacted its military capabilities. Yet, its capital, Sofia, undertook a modernization and has been one of the alliance members that has exceeded the two percent of GDP spending for defense.
That was driven by its acquisition of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which will replace its antiquated Soviet-era fighters from the Cold War, including the Mikoyan MiG-29. The oldest of those aircraft was delivered in the late 1980s.
In 2019, Bulgaria signed a $1.2 billion contract with Lockheed Martin for eight Fighting Falcons, which resulted in the Balkan nation spending three percent of its GDP on defense. It increased the order by eight more fighters in 2021, with the payments staggered over multiple years. The first aircraft had been expected to be delivered in 2023, but production was delayed due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Bulgaria‘s F-16 Fighting Falcon Finally Unveiled
The first two of Sofia‘s original order of eight F-16 Block 70 Fighting Falcons were officially handed over in late January. While the single-seat F-16C will remain in the United States for the training of air and ground crews, the F-16D twin-seat operational trainer flew from Lockheed Martin‘s Greenville, S.C., facility to the Bulgarian Air Force‘s (BuAF‘s) 3 Fighter Air Base at Graf Ignatievo near Plovdiv and arrived in Bulgaria on April 2, 2025.
“This is not just a fighter jet, but a symbol and embodiment of Bulgaria‘s strategic partnership with the United States… a partnership that offers a new perspective for the Bulgarian Army,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said in a statement, per The Associated Press.
According to international military analyst firm Janes, Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov, Minister of Defence Atanas Zapryanov, Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov, and Susan Falatko, charge d‘affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria, attended the ceremony marking the aircraft‘s arrival.
“For the Air Force, this means a new era in their development,” Zapryanov said in his remarks. “There is a future for our combat aviation from the air force because they already have a new aircraft type, which will be in operation in the next thirty to forty years. And this, I am convinced, will motivate the personnel to carry out the service with a much greater desire and with great prospects.”
Bulgaria’s F-16 Flying Falcons Liftoff
During the trans-Atlantic ferry flight, Bulgaria‘s F-16 had some company, including additional Fighting Falcons being delivered to NATO member Slovakia. As required by international aviation law, all aircraft were adorned with U.S. Air Force insignia, which was quickly replaced when the F-16s arrived in the respective countries.
A Tennessee Air National Guard (TN ANG) KC-135 tanker provided aerial refueling during the flight from South Carolina to Europe.
Bulgaria is now the second European nation and NATO member to receive the F-16 Block 70, followed by Slovakia, which received the first modernized multirole aircraft last July. Both NATO allies will see their fleet of Fighting Falcons grow, with deliveries on track to be completed by the end of 2027.
As of the beginning of this year, Lockheed Martin, which continues to produce the F-16, had a backlog of 117 Block 70/72 aircraft, while twenty-three had been delivered to international partners. Earlier this month, Taiwan also received the first of its Block 70 Fighting Falcons, while the U.S. State Department approved the sale of two dozen Block 70/72 fighters to the Philippines.
Sofia Will Continue to Invest in the F-16 Flying Falcons
Even as Bulgaria receives the F-16s, the decade-long modernization program of Bulgaria‘s military will continue. However, Zhelyazkov has rejected calls from U.S. president Donald Trump for NATO members to increase spending to five percent of GDP.
“A significant number of NATO countries do not reach two percent defense spending, so it is still too early to talk about a new increase,” Prime Minister Zhelyazkov said in February while attending a meeting of the leaders of the EU, the UK, and the NATO secretary general.
“With the purchase of the F-16, Bulgaria reached three percent of GDP (for defense), so Bulgaria has exceeded the EU goals.”
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock/ Evren Kalinbacak.
