First Bulgarian Air Force F-16s soon to be delivered

On 31 January 2025, during a ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Greenville, South Carolina, the first F-16 Fighting Falcon was officially handed over to the Bulgarski Voenno Vzdushni Sili (BVVS, Bulgarian Air Force). This aircraft is an F-16D with serial 301 (c/n MY-01, FMS 20-6001).

A few months earlier, on 22 October 2024, the first Bulgarian Air Force F-16C, serial 311 (c/n MV-01), completed its inaugural flight from Donaldson Field Airport in Greenville.

In July 2019, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract for eight F-16 Block 70 fighter aircraft, followed by a second order for an additional eight aircraft in April 2022. The contracts, valued at USD 2.2 billion, include related equipment such as spare engines, missiles, bombs, and Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars. The sixteen F-16s are divided into ten F-16C Block 70 and six F-16D Block 70 Fighting Falcons.

The first two aircraft (one F-16C and one F-16D) will be flown to Bulgaria in April 2025, followed by another six aircraft (five F-16Cs and one F-16D) later in the year, completing the first contract. Deliveries from the second contract are expected to begin after 2026 or 2027.

Credit photos: Lockheed Martin