site.btaSuccessful Test Flight of First Bulgarian F-16 Block 70 Fighter Aircraft Conducted at Production Base

A successful test flight of Bulgaria's first F-16 Block 70 fighter jet was carried out on October 22, 2024 at the Lockheed Martin manufacturing facility in Greenville, South Carolina, USA, the Ministry of Defence said on its website on Wednesday.

During the flight, a large number of system tests were performed to verify the operational and supersonic capabilities of the aircraft.

The tested F-16 Block 70 fighter jet is the first of a total of 16 that Bulgaria will receive under the two contracts signed in 2019 and 2022 respectively, the ministry said.

“In 2025, we expect our new F-16 combat platform to be battle ready,” caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said earlier this year. At the end of June, Captain Alexander Velinov became the first Bulgarian pilot to successfully complete his F-16 group leader training in Tucson, Arizona, USA. Bulgaria is expected to have eight F-16s and 14 trained pilots by the end of next year, as per contract, Minister Zapryanov said in April this year.