Production is underway for Bulgaria’s future fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 fighters at the US company’s factory in Greenville, South Carolina.
Seven Bulgarian F-16 70s are in various stages of production, with a first flight planned before the end of 2024, says Lockheed.
The company made the disclosure following a visit to Greenville by Bulgarian defence minister Todor Tagarev and other officials.
Sofia is acquiring a total of 16 F-16s, comprising both single seat C- and twin-seat D-models.
News that Bulgarian fighters are in production comes one week after Lockheed revealed that another F-16 Block 70 customer, Slovakia, has already received two examples.
Lockheed has a backlog for 135 F-16 Block 70s. In addition to Bulgaria and Slovakia, other countries with commitments are Bahrain, Morocco, and Taiwan.
