F‑16 glitch grounds Bulgaria's hopes for air prowess upgrade
The first F-16 Block 70 that arrived from the USA in Bulgaria is not fit for flight. According to the Militarnyj portal, which cites the commander of the Bulgarian Air Force, a malfunction was detected in one of the onboard systems that will only be fixed after the delivery of replacement parts.
The Bulgarians did not provide technical details. They only revealed that the problem was detected in Bulgaria, but there is no certainty whether the deviation from norms occurred during the transport of the fighter from the USA or after its delivery. The fighter has been grounded due to the necessity of waiting for spare parts.
Bulgaria has a problem with the F-16
Former Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov, who is also an aviation engineer, emphasized that the necessary replacement part is not currently available in Bulgaria because it was not included in the original delivery package. In his opinion, this was due to the desire to reduce order costs and choose a cheaper offer instead of the variant with guaranteed supply of spare parts by the manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, around the clock.
Bulgaria decided to purchase a total of 16 F-16 Block 70 aircraft (in two batches). Their introduction into service will mark a significant transition for the Bulgarian combat aviation, which until now has relied on Soviet-era MiG-29s.
The contract signed with the USA includes, besides the F-16s themselves, an ammunition package comprising medium-range air-to-air AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, short-range air-to-air AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles, and JDAM bombs.
The F-16 Block 70 aircraft are modern versions of this popular fighter, distinguished mainly by upgraded avionics, the AN/APG-83 SABR (Scalable Agile Beam Radar) with active phased array scanning that provides greater range and better ability to distinguish individual targets in a group, as well as improved data exchange systems and new electronic warfare equipment.
By the end of 2025, seven more fighters are expected to arrive in Bulgaria. The completion of the delivery of eight aircraft in the second batch is planned for 2027.
