Lockheed Martin has completed deliveries of F-16C/D Block 70 fighters to Slovakia, and also handed over the last jets from an initial-tranche buy placed by Bulgaria.
The US airframer on 15 December announced that the final aircraft produced for both European customers through those deals had “completed DD250 final acceptance through the US government’s Foreign Military Sales programme”.
Slovakia’s air force has now received 12 single-seat F-16Cs, and a pair of two-seat D-model trainers. Bratislava took its first examples in January 2024, having acquired the type to replace already-retired RAC MiG-29 fighters.
The Bulgarian air force, meanwhile, has taken receipt of six F-16s and two Ds, completing an initial acquisition. Sofia signed a repeat eight-unit order in September 2023, with that batch to include four examples in each version.
The service’s first F-16D was transferred to Bulgarian ownership in January 2025.
Fleets data from aviation analytics company Cirium used in FlightGlobal’s 2026 World Air Forces directory shows the Bulgarian air force as still operating 12 MiG-29s and seven Sukhoi Su-25 ground-attack aircraft, including trainers.
“With full F-16 Block 70 fleets now produced, both nations move from planning for next-generation airpower to demonstrating it in daily operations,” says Mike Shoemaker, vice-president and general manager of Lockheed’s Integrated Fighter Group.
