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| Rejects Bulgarian Order, US Recommends To Continue Use Of Its MiG-29 |
Washington - The United States (US) will not provide F-16 fighter aircraft to the Bulgarian Air Force as a replacement for the aging MiG-29 in the near future. This was stated by acting Bulgarian Minister of Defense Dimitar Stoyanov as reported by Bulgarian Military. According to Stoyanov, Washington strongly recommended that Bulgaria continue to operate its MiG-29 fighters.
As is known, Bulgaria has ordered eight F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jets in 2019 out of a total of 16 planned. Sofia has also paid Lockheed Martin 100 percent of the requested amount. Given this fact, Bulgaria's first F-16 fighter will not arrive next year, but will most likely be pushed back to 2026.
In fact, Bulgaria urgently needs this 4.5 generation F-16 fighter jet to fulfill its obligations under NATO membership, as well as to ensure the security of Bulgarian airspace.
The Bulgarian Air Force currently still flies 11 MiG-29 fighter jets. However, they are too old and some of them need engine repair. Following an official response from Washington, Minister Stoyanov announced that the Bulgarian Government is working hard to extend the life of the MiG-29.
Meanwhile, upgrading the MiG-29 is unlikely to involve Russia, even though Poland and Israel have that capability. Of course, Bulgaria also has to budget new funds for this.