site.btaBulgaria to Receive Eight F-16 Fighter Jets in 2025

Bulgaria will receive eight F-16 Block 70 fighters in 2025, caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said in the northern town of Dolna Mitropoliya. The first two fighters are expected to arrive in late March or early April.

"We should be ready to start training people for the F-16," Zapryanov said, adding that all the pilots assigned for training have been sent to do so. "Some failed to make it and came back, their training continues. We already have a flight instructor. I hope we will have enough pilots when the first eight aircraft arrive," the Minister said.

Zapryanov also noted the importance of the infrastructure specific to F-16. "We must immediately proceed to combat training; if the pilots do not fly for a certain time, we will have to bring them back for retraining. Because of this we are also in a hurry with infrastructure, this is a big challenge," Zapryanov explained.

He elaborated that personnel changes are not the most pressing issue in the Air Force, the biggest and most serious problem is "maintaining the airworthiness of aviation equipment". Bulgaria's MiG-29s need to be repaired and Bulgaria will continue to invest in their maintenance until the new F-16s become operational.

Earlier in November, the Defence Ministry signed a contract with Poland's state-owned company Wojskowe Zaklady Lotnicze Nr 2 S.A. for overhaul/capital repair of six MiG-29 engines to restore their inter-repair resource and service life.

The Minister visited the Georgi Benkovski Air Force Academy, where an augmented virtual reality system was inaugurated, allowing real-scale study of F-16 Block 70. Two new Cabri helicopters were received. 

"With this system, it is possible to train cadets and technical staff to study the aircraft without having one," Zapryanov said, adding that the Defence Ministry is also buying simulators for pilot training. The MiG-29 pilots go to a simulator in the Serbian capital of Belgrade because Bulgaria does not have one. The Minister said the deployment of F-16 is comprehensively provided with both simulators for pilot training and virtual reality simulators for technician training.