Bulgaria Cleared to buy 8 F-16 Jets for $1.67B; Sofia No to Transferring MiG-29s to Ukraine

The U.S. State Department has agreed to sell eight F-16 C/D Block 70 fighters to Bulgaria for $1.67 billion.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

Bulgaria had requested to buy four F-16 C Block 70 aircraft; four F-16 D Block 70 aircraft; 11 F100-GE-129D engines (8 installed, 3 spares); 11 AN/APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Scalable Agile Beam Radars (SABR) (8 installed, 3 spares); 19 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) AIM-120C-7/C-8 or equivalent missiles; 28 GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs); four AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATPs); 12 Multifunctional Information Distribution System with Joint Tactical Radio Systems (MIDS-JTRS) (aircraft terminals and ground station terminals); 20 AIM-9X Block II missiles; 8 AIM-9X Block II Captive Air Training Missiles (CATMs); 4 AIM-9X Block II Tactical Guidance Units; 4 AIM-9X Block II CATM Guidance Units; 24 FMU-139 or FMU-152 fuze systems; 12 KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) Tail Kits for 500LB GBU-38 or Laser JDAM GBU-54; 12 MXU-650 Air Foil Groups (AFGs) for Enhanced Paveway II EGBU-49; 24 MK-82 or BLU-111 or equivalent Bomb Bodies; 6 MK-82 Inert Bombs; 2 GBU-39 SDB I Practice Bombs; and other related equipment and support.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said on April 1 that his country will not send troops or fighter jets to Ukraine.

“No commitments have been made for Bulgarian fighters. We currently have few flying planes and they cannot be delivered to another country,” Petkov told journalists after a parliament session.

Bulgaria has 14 MiG-29 fighters left. It will keep the aircraft at least until the F-16s are delivered but has said no to handing them over to Ukraine.

Earlier Poland had indicated that it would be willing to transfer its stock of MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine if it was compensated with F-16 jets. The move was turned down by the U.S.

Sale not related to Ukraine-Russia War: Pentagon

The sale approval came amid continuing speculation that one of Washington's NATO allies could provide Ukraine with MiG-29 jets to fight Russian forces. Bulgaria, Poland and Slovakia are the three NATO members that operate MiG-29s, which Ukraine pilots are capable of flying.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a press briefing Monday that the deal was not tied to the war in Ukraine.