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Bulgaria is being armored, the first American F-16 aircraft arrives, 7 more by the end of the year
2025-04-13 19:52:51 / BOTA
Bulgaria took delivery of its first US-made F-16 fighter jet on Sunday, ordered as part of the eastern NATO member's historic efforts to modernize its air force.
To replace its MiG-29 jets, Bulgaria has ordered 16 American F-16 fighters at a cost of around 2.4 billion euros, in the largest contract to overhaul its armed forces since the fall of communism in 1989.
At a ceremony marking the delivery of the aircraft at the Graf Ignatievo military base in central Bulgaria, Prime Minister Rossen Yeliazkov said those present were celebrating "the relentless and irreversible modernization of the Bulgarian military."
US defense official David Baker hailed the delivery of the aircraft as "an important milestone."
"Your investments today will enhance Bulgaria's security for decades to come and will enable you to further contribute to making NATO the greatest military alliance in history," Baker added.
After the first delivery that took place this Sunday, seven more F-16s will be delivered by the end of 2025, while the remaining eight will arrive by 2027.
Bulgaria, which last year celebrated the 20th anniversary of its accession to NATO, has long delayed the modernization of its air force for political and financial reasons.
But, as with other eastern members of the US-led defense alliance, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has forced a review of its defense posture.
The European Union's poorest member now spends more than NATO's basic level of two percent of national output on defense - although it still remains well below the 5 percent now demanded by US President Donald Trump.
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