Lockheed Martin announced on Jan. 31, 2025, the delivery of the first F-16 Block 70 jet to Bulgaria, marking a major step forward in the country’s efforts to modernize its air force.
The delivery was celebrated at Lockheed Martin’s in Greenville, South Carolina, facility and attended by Bulgaria’s Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov alongside American and Bulgarian leaders.
“This momentous occasion continues the strong partnership between Lockheed Martin, the United States, Bulgaria as well as our allies,” said Greg Ulmer, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics president.
“This is a historic event of key importance for the development of the Bulgarian Air Force,” Zapryanov said.
That development – and Bulgaria’s partnership with the United States – is vital in boosting security of the Black Sea region and NATO’s eastern front, he said.
F-16s are built by the Lockheed Martin team in Greenville, and Bulgaria has ordered 16 aircraft.
Company officials said Lockheed Martin has a backlog of 117 F-16 Block 70/72 jets to be produced in Greenville, with 23 already delivered for international partners.
The F-16 program supports more than 46,000 American jobs, making it a vital part of the country’s industrial base, the officials said.
Lockheed Martin’s Greenville site is the home of the F-16 Fighting Falcon production line and provides nose-to-tail aircraft modification, maintenance, repair and overhaul services for both military and civil aircraft.
Bulgaria settled on the advanced F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft, and the procurement process began in earnest in June 2019 when the US State Department approved a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Bulgaria of eight F-16V Block 70/72 fighters, at an estimated cost of US $1.673 billion.
The Bulgarian F-16s will be equipped to carry AIM-120C-7/8 AMRAAMs (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles) and GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs.
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev initially vetoed the F-16 deal in July 2019, saying that a broader consensus was needed. The Bulgarian parliament over-rode this veto a few days later, and the procurement progressed, with an initial US $512 million contract awarded to Lockheed Martin in April 2020.
The Block 70/72 F-16 is the new F-16 baseline, with an AN/APG-83 AESA Scalable Agile Beam Radar, a modernized mission computer, a new Centre Pedestal Display, Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System, and many other upgrades. The new AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar enhances situational awareness, and allows a pilot to engage multiple targets simultaneously, or to simultaneously use the radar in different modes. Crucially, AESA radars give a ‘weapons quality track’ for a target at significantly longer range. The F-16 Block 70/72 is equipped with the Viper Shield electronic warfare system, including a digital radar warning receiver, further enhancing situational awareness and survivability.
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