site.btaDefence Minister about First F-16: Necessary Certificates Obtained, Simulator Building Construction Delay Disappointing

After the arrival of the first F-16 Block 70 fighter jet for the Bulgarian Air Force earlier in the week, Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said on Friday that all modalities and certificates for the acquisition have been completed. "There were special certification requirements for four critical facilities. The requirements were fulfilled and the facilities certified, which made it possible for the aircraft to land in Bulgaria," Zapryanov said, speaking on the Panorama weekly political talk show of Bulgarian National Television.

He said the runway at the Graf Ignatievo Air Base near Plovdiv was renovated and has been operational since the summer of 2024. Work on some facilities is to be completed by the end of 2025. Work on the shelters will continue into 2026.

"The only facility about which my colleagues and I feel disappointed is the building which was supposed to house the flight simulator and whose construction has been delayed. The contractor is expected to finish it by the end of September," Zapryanov said, calling for stepping up the job. If the building is completed by the end of June, training will begin not only on the real plane but also on the simulators which have been purchased, he said.

The Defence Minister said the jet's arrival marks the beginning of a new stage in upgrading and developing the Bulgarian Air Force. He pointed to publicly known problems with the country's combat aviation and difficulties in maintaining the Soviet-era MiG-29 fighters. "We now have a new platform built on the latest technology, with a new radar, a new computer, new weapons, and it has brought a radical change to the capabilities of our Air Force both in terms of the radius of action and in terms of hitting air and land targets."

A second F-16 Block 70 fighter purchased for the Bulgarian Air Force will arrive on April 28, Zapryanov said.