Major Bugs Delay F-16’s Service Entry in Bulgaria

On May 1 Bulgaria’s first <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/republic-china-air-force-receives-first-f16-block70" target="_blank">F-16 Block 70 fighter </a>aircraft was confirmed to be suffering from a critical system deviation, with the discovery of this during official acceptance checks grounding the aircraft just weeks after it arrived from the United States. Almost immediately after landing in Bulgaria on April 2, the fighter encountered a technical issue which halted its entry into active service, with Air Force Commander Major General Nikolay Rusev confirming that the aircraft could not be accepted into service before the issue was resolved. Presidential Secretary for Defence Dimitar Stoyanov stated that the F-16 was non-operational due to a damaged component, with the necessary replacement part being unavailable. Reports on the state of the aircraft have varied. Issues with the F-16 have caused a major scandal in Bulgaria, with former Prime Minister and leader of the ruling GERB party Boyko Borisov reported to have informed journalists that the fighter was “broken and can’t fly… How could we receive a broken aircraft for $100 million?” The contract for eight F-16 Block 70 fighters was signed in July 2019 for $1.26 billion, placing the average cost at $157.5 million per fighter including accompanying weaponry, spare parts and maintenance infrastructure.&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/06/article_6819ad21b0cb19_25991474.png" title="Royal Bahraini Air Force F-16D Block 70">The procurement of the F-16 Block 70 is intended to facilitate a phasing out of Soviet MiG-29A/UB fighters from service, with the new F-16 variant being by far the most capable ever produced. The fighter class benefits from an enhanced variant of the Cold War era F110 engine, the F110-GE-129, as well as a high composite airframe that reduces maintenance needs, and an AN/APG-83 AESA that revolutionises the class’ situational awareness. At a time when countries across NATO are adopting the fifth generation F-35A as their primary fighter, the F-16 Block 70 is <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/f16s-eastern-europe-slovak-f16bl70" target="_blank">considered</a> a much more affordable choice due to its far lower operational costs. The fighter’s significantly lower maintenance needs allow the aircraft to be made available for combat at much higher rates than the notoriously maintenance intensive F-35, although its combat potential is significantly lower due to its less advanced avionics, lack of stealth capabilities and much smaller radar.&nbsp;The U.S. Air Force itself stopped procuring F-16s in 2005, with the fighter increasingly considered obsolete and seeing no sales to clients with the developed economies. The sole exception has been the Republic of China Air Force, which despite a sizeable budget has been unable to procure F-35s for political reasons, leading it to place an <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/taiwan-f16s-late-no-penalties" target="_blank">$8.2 billion order</a> for 66 F-16 Block 70 fighters in 2019.&nbsp;