Lockheed Martin awarded $512 million contract for F-16 Block 70 for Bulgaria

Lockheed Martin contract F-16 Bulgaria
Lockheed Martin awarded $512 million contract for F-16 Block 70 for Bulgaria.

Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $512 million firm-fixed-price contract for the production of F-16 Block 70 combat aircraft for Bulgaria.

The contract provides for the production of eight F-16 Block 70 fighters for the Bulgarian Air Force. This contract is funded via foreign military sales (FMS) to the Republic of Bulgaria and is the result of a tender conducted by Bulgaria which also included second-hand Italian Eurofighters and new Saab Gripen C/Ds.

According to US DoD, the project is expected to be completed by 31 January 2027.

The F-16 Block 70 is the newest and most advanced F-16 production configuration. It features advanced avionics, a Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, a modernized cockpit, advanced weapons, conformal fuel tanks (CFT), an Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS), an advanced engine and an industry-leading extended structural service life of 12,000 hours.

The new fighters will be used to replace the old Bulgarian MiG-29s, delivered between the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Written by Matteo Sanzani
Image: Lockheed Martin


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