Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov leaves today, January 29, for a three-day visit to the US. He will attend a ceremony for the official handover of the first Bulgarian F-16 Block 70 aircraft, which will be held on January 31, 2025 at the production base of the manufacturer “Lockheed Martin“ in Greenville, South Carolina.
The Bulgarian delegation includes Deputy Defense Minister Adelina Nikolova, Deputy Chief of Defense Lieutenant General Krasimir Kanev, Air Force Commander Major General Dimitar Petrov and the Director of the “Armaments Policy“ Directorate Colonel Vladislav Shekerov. The ceremony in Greenville will be attended by the Bulgarian Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Georgi Panayotov, and the Military Attaché, Colonel Ivan Bogdanov, BGNES reported.
In the presence of the management of the manufacturing company “Lockheed Martin“, representatives of the US Congress and Senate, the US Department of Defense and the US Air Force, as well as the local government in the state of South Carolina, the Bulgarian F-16 Block 70 aircraft will be officially handed over to Bulgaria.
This is the first of a total of 16 new fighter jets that Bulgaria will receive in fulfillment of the two contracts signed in 2019 and 2022, respectively. The first two aircraft are expected to land on Bulgarian territory in April 2025.
During the visit of the Minister of Defense to the United States, the management of “Lockheed Martin“ will present to the Bulgarian delegation the capabilities of the company's production facility in Greenville. Minister Zapryanov will also meet with Bulgarian Air Force personnel currently training 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.