The first of 16 new F-16 fighter jets from the US land in Bulgaria

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SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria received on Wednesday the first of 16 new F-16 military jets from the United States that the Balkan country needs to upgrade its defense and bring its air force in line with NATO standards.

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov hailed the arrival of the first jet at the Graf Ignatievo air base in central Bulgaria.

“This is not just a fighter jet, but a symbol and embodiment of Bulgaria’s strategic partnership with the United States … a partnership that offers a new perspective for the Bulgarian Army," the prime minister said.

Bulgaria contracted to buy eight multi-role F-16 Block 70 aircraft in July 2019 for $1.3 billion. Plans initially called for the first planes to arrive in Bulgaria in 2023, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed their delivery.

In 2022, the Bulgarian government signed a contract with American aerospace company Lockheed Martin for a second batch of another eight of the F-16 fighter jets by the end of 2027.

Bulgaria, which joined NATO in 2004, has for two decades sought to update its military’s air fleet of aging Soviet-made MiG-29 jets, but financial problems forced repeated postponements.

Amid Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine, Bulgaria has been relying on assistance from other NATO countries to fulfill its air policing obligations as an alliance member.