Bulgarian Air Force receives its first F-16 Block 70 fighter

The first Bulgarian Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 fighter arrived at the country’s Graf Ignatievo Air Base on 13 April 2025, signalling the beginning of F-16 operations in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria has ordered a total of 16 F-16s, having signed an initial letter of acceptance (LOA) for eight F-16s in 2019 and then a second LOA for an additional eight jets in 2022. The first eight aircraft will be delivered by the end of 2025.

The 16 F-16 Block 70s will replace the Bulgarian Air Force’s current fleet of 12 Soviet-designed MiG-29s.

“This is not just a celebration of a new aircraft for the Bulgarian Air Force; it represents a new era of enhanced security, advanced capabilities and strengthened partnerships in the region,” Mike Shoemaker, vice president and general manager of the Integrated Fighter Group at Lockheed Martin, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “Lockheed Martin has been proud to serve as a bridge between the United States and Bulgaria as we work together to achieve peace through strength around the globe.”

The F-16 Block 70 standard features the Northrop Grumman APG-83 active electronically scanned-array (AESA) radar, advanced avionics, an extended structural service life of 12,000 hours and critical safety features like the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS). Since its integration into the US Air Force in late 2014, the Auto GCAS “has been instrumental in saving 13 pilots across 12 F-16 incidents, exemplifying the aircraft’s unparalleled safety and performance standards”, Lockheed Martin noted.

While many European air forces are retiring their F-16 fleets in favour of procuring the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, Lockheed Martin says it still has a backlog of 114 F-16 Block 70/72 jets to be produced in Greenville, South Carolina, for all of its customers, with a total of 26 of the type delivered to date.

A number of Lockheed Martin’s international customers are also upgrading their current F-16 fleets to the equivalent F-16V standard.