During his visit to the US last week, Bulgarian Defence Minister Todor Tagarev and the Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov, visited Lockheed Martin's South Carolina production site, the Defence Ministry said in a press release here on Tuesday. The visit was aimed at the Bulgarian delegation getting acquainted with the manufacturing process of the F-16 Block 70 fighter jets for the Bulgarian Air Force.
The delegation was welcomed by Orlando Sanchez, Vice President and General Manager of Integrated Fighter Group, and Kelli L. Seybolt, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs.
During the meeting, Tagarev said that the Bulgarian society is looking forward to the F-16 fighter jets. "For us, that is a huge project and a serious effort to increase our Armed Forces' capabilities," he noted.
The Bulgarian delegation toured and production site and saw seven of the aircraft meant for Bulgaria, which are at different stages of completion. Bulgaria will be the second European country to receive the latest version of F-16, the Defence Minister said.
/DS/
