Minister Zapryanov travels to the USA to receive the first Bulgarian F-16 Block 70 fighter aircraft

The Minister of Defense, Atanas Zapryanov, is departing today January 29 for a three-day visit to the United States. He will attend the ceremony for the official handover of the first produced Bulgarian F-16 Block 70 fighter jet. The event will take place on January 31, 2025, at the production facility of the manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, in Greenville, South Carolina.

This is the first of a total of 16 new fighter jets that Bulgaria will receive as part of two agreements signed in 2019 and 2022. The first two jets are expected to land in Bulgaria in April 2025.

The Bulgarian delegation includes Deputy Minister of Defense Adelina Nikolova, Deputy Chief of Defense Lieutenant General Krasimir Kanev, Commander of the Bulgarian Air Force Major General Dimitar Petrov, and Director of the Directorate for Armament Policy Colonel Vladislav Shekerov. The Ambassador of Bulgaria to the US, H.E. Georgi Panayotov, and the Military Attaché Colonel Ivan Bogdanov will also attend the ceremony in Greenville.

The Bulgarian F-16 Block 70 aircraft will be officially handed over to Bulgaria in the presence of the leadership of the manufacturing company Lockheed Martin, representatives of the US Congress and Senate, the US Department of Defense and the US Air Force, as well as local authorities in the state of South Carolina.

Photos by Ministry of Defence

During the visit of the Minister of Defence to the US, the leadership of Lockheed Martin will showcase the capabilities of the company's production facility in Greenville to the Bulgarian delegation. Minister Zapryanov will also meet with Bulgarian military personnel from the Air Force currently undergoing training there, as well as representatives of the US Department of Defense and the US Air Force overseeing the implementation of the aircraft delivery.