General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon operators

The US has frozen arms sales to Turkey since 2018 which are believed to include US assistance in the structural upgrades of Turkish F-16s

The F-16 Block 70 fighter will have full combat capabilities, said Lockheed Martin International Business Development Director Jim Robinson.

At a press conference, representatives of the US company and the US Embassy in Bulgaria gave details about the production, delivery, capabilities of the aircraft, as well as the benefits to Bulgaria of the strategic partnership.

The Council of Ministers will hold an extraordinary meeting today to approve a bill amending and supplementing the 2019 State Budget Act.

After the US State Department announced on Monday evening that it has approved a possible sale to Bulgaria of a squadron of new and fully armed F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft for an estimated cost of $1.673 billion, the Bulgarian defence minister said he expected to get the planes for a cheaper price.

Lockheed Martin will open a base for maintenance, partial and complete renovation (MRO facility) in Bulgaria, said Jim Robinson, "International Business Development for the F-16 in the US company. This means that Bulgarian aircraft can be maintained in Bulgaria by local engineers and technicians throughout the duration of their 12,000 hours of flight hours.

Turkish pilots will continue to train with F-35 fighter jets at a U.S. Air Force base in Arizona, the Pentagon said on April 2.

The entry into the National Air Police Service under national command of the first squadron equipped with the F-16 aircraft represents a significant moment in the 15-year history of Romania's membership of the North Atlantic Alliance, the Minister of National Defense, Gabriel Les, said on Thursday, adding through the missions to be carried out from now on by the 53rd Fighter Squadron, our count

The Bulgarian government has approved a plan to start talks with the United States on buying eight new F-16 fighter jets to replace its ageing Soviet-made MiG-29s and improve compliance with NATO standards, the defence minister said on Wednesday.

In June 2018 Bulgarian Parliament approved a plan to spend around $2 billion on its Air Force modernization. It planned to purchase 16 fighter jets to replace its existing air fleet of MiG-29s.

"A new F-16 is a much better aircraft than all the others available," Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov said on December 14.

SOFIA (Reuters) - The United States, Sweden and Italy have filed bids to supply Bulgaria with eight fighter jets aimed at replacing its ageing Soviet-designed MiG-29s, in a tender estimated at 1.8 billion levs ($1 billion), the defense ministry said on Monday.