The second Bulgarian F-16 fighter jet is en route to Bulgaria

The second F-16 fighter jet is expected to arrive in Bulgaria within days, said Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov during a lecture to students at the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies.

• PM Rosen Zhelyazkov: The first F-16 is a symbol of ideological change

• President Radev: The delivery of F-16s is just the beginning of the political commitment to the Bulgarian Air Force

"These aircraft do not fly individually, but in groups. In the air, they are covered with foil, and their identification markings – the Bulgarian tricolor and tail numbers – are removed. They fly with American signatures because they need to cross international airspace, which takes time – flying over the ocean takes as long as it does for commercial planes", Minister Zapryanov explained. All of the first eight fighter jets ordered from the United States are expected to arrive by the end of the year.

Atanas Zapryanov also stated that Bulgaria needs to allocate at least 3% of its GDP to defense spending.