Lockheed Martin Wins $151.4M to Build F-16 Block 70 Jets for Bulgaria

The Pentagon has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract valued $151.4 million for Bulgaria F-16 Block 70 production.

This contract provides for the production of eight F-16 Block 70 aircraft.

Work will be performed at Fort Worth, Texas; and Greenville, South Carolina, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2027.

In 2019, Bulgaria initiated an order for eight units of this fighter model and promptly made a 100% upfront payment. Fast forward to 2022, the Bulgarian Parliament greenlit the acquisition of an additional eight fighter jets, thereby increasing the total procurement to 16 F-16s.

Industry experts anticipate that it will be a decade-long process for Bulgaria to gradually take possession of all these aircraft.

These brand-new F-16s are poised to replace 11 aging Soviet MiG-29UBs. The initial Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 fighter, tailored for Bulgaria's needs, is anticipated to roll off the production line and reach the country in 2025.