site.btaPrime Minister Describes Introduction of F-16 Jets into Bulgarian Air Force Fleet as “Ideological Change”
Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov on Sunday described the introduction of F-16 Block 70 fighter aircraft into the Bulgarian Air Force fleet as an ideological change and a symbol of the country’s strategic partnership with the United States.
In a speech for the acceptance of the first F-16 at the Graf Ignatievo Air Base, Zhelyazkov said the plane is becoming a part of Bulgaria’s national sovereignty.
The first F-16 Block 70 fighter for the Bulgarian Air Force landed at Graf Ignatievo on April 2 after leaving the Lockheed Martin plants on March 31. It is a two-seat trainer-and-combat plane. It will go into operation after its technical and aerial acceptance by the Bulgarian Air Force.
The fighter is part of an initial batch of eight F-16 Block 70 jets whose delivery will be completed by the end of 2025. Another eight such fighters will arrive by the close of 2027 to add up to a full squadron.
/VE/
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