The first F-16 Block 70 multirole fighter jet for the Bulgarian Air Force landed at the Graf Ignatievo Air Base near Plovdiv on Wednesday. The event was attended by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov, among other officials.

At end-January, Zapryanov said that the first F-16 aircraft would arrive in Bulgaria in early April, later confirming that the expected date was April 2. “The mere arrival of the aircraft does not immediately make it Bulgarian. There is a procedure that takes time. The official transfer of documents must be completed. The formal ceremony is scheduled for April 12,” the Defence Minister explained.