site.btaDefence Minister Zapryanov Leaves on Visit to US to Attend Formal Handover of Bulgaria's First F-16 Block 70 Aircraft

Bulgaria’s Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov is leaving on a three-day visit to the United States, Zapryanov’s Ministry said on Wednesday.

The Minister will attend a formal handover of Bulgaria's first F-16 Block 70 aircraft at Lockheed Martin’s Greenville site in South Carolina on January 31, 2025.

The Bulgarian delegation includes Deputy Minister of Defence Adelina Nikolova, the Deputy Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Krasimir Kanev, the Commander of the Bulgarian Air Force, Major General Dimitar Petrov, and the Director of Armaments Policy Directorate, Colonel Vladislav Shekerov. The handover ceremony in Greenville will be attended by Bulgaria’s Ambassador to the US, Georgi Panayotov and Defence Attaché Ivan Bogdanov.

The F-16 Block 70 aircraft will be handed over to Bulgaria in the presence of Lockheed Martin’s leadership, representatives of the US Congress, the US Department of Defense and the US Air Force, as well as local authorities in the state of South Carolina. The aircraft will be the first out of 16 new fighter jets Bulgaria is to receive under two contracts, signed in 2019 and 2022. The first two aircraft are expected to arrive in this country in April 2025.

During Zapryanov’s visit, the leadership of Lockheed Martin will brief the Bulgarian delegation on the production capabilities at the company’s Greenville site. Zapryanov will also confer with Bulgarian Air Force personnel who are currently being trained there, as well as with representatives of the US Department of Defense and the US Air Force, who are overseeing the delivery of the aircraft.