The Bulgarian Ministry of Defence has received the second F-16 Block 70 aircraft, built by Lockheed Martin, at the Third Air Base located in Graf Ignatievo village.
This particular F-16 Block 70 is a single-seater combat aircraft identified by tail number 313. It is currently awaiting completion of technical and flight acceptance procedures.
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Chief of defence admiral Emil Eftimov said: “The process of accepting the new F-16 Block 70 platform into our Air Force and the Bulgarian Army continues successfully. Welcome to our second new combat aircraft, which arrived at the Third Air Base today. We continue with the acceptance and mastering of the new aircraft. The goal remains unchanged – to receive all eight F-16s under the first contract this year. We are working hard to achieve initial operational capabilities in real terms.”
In April 2025, Bulgaria received its first F-16 Block 70 aircraft, designated for combat training. This follows after Lockheed Martin handed over the first two F-16 Block 70 fourth-generation multi-role aircraft to Bulgaria in February during a ceremony in Greenville, South Carolina, US.
According to a contract signed in 2019, Bulgaria is set to acquire a total of eight such aircraft by the end of 2025.
Going forward, Bulgaria aims to establish an F-16 Block 70 squadron by end of 2027 with an additional eight aircraft scheduled for delivery under a second contract.
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By GlobalDataIn 2024, Bulgaria has allocated a defence budget totalling $2.1bn. Projections indicate that from 2025 to 2029, this budget will experience an annual growth rate exceeding 10%, according to a GlobalData report. This escalation in defence spending is largely attributed to the impact of Russia’s incursion into Ukraine in February 2022, which has significantly altered the security dynamics within Europe.
The Bulgarian military’s equipment and assets are in urgent need of upgrades due to prolonged periods of underinvestment. Consequently, Bulgaria is prioritising the modernisation of its military capabilities across land, air, and sea to address the current deficiencies in readiness and to replace aging hardware nearing obsolescence, the report said.
