Bulgaria to buy a second batch of eight new F-16s from US

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s caretaker government has approved the purchase of a second batch of eight new F-16 fighter jets needed to bring its air force in line with NATO standards. The decision still needs parliamentary approval. But the Bulgarian government said Thursday that the Cabinet authorized the country’s defense minister to sign the contracts with American aerospace company Lockheed Martin once the expected approval is granted. Bulgaria previously contracted to buy eight F-16s in July 2019 for $1.3 billion. Plans initially called for the first planes to arrive in Bulgaria in 2023  but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed delivery until 2025. The country now has a fleet of aging Russian-made MiG-29s fighter jets.