In a statement the US Department of Defense said, the State Department has approved the potential sale of up to 8 F-16 fighter planes and related equipment to Bulgaria, in a deal valued at $1.673 billion.

The principal contractor for the same is Lockheed Martin.

The sale is not directly related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, said U.S. officials.

According to a source familiar with the matter at hand, the sale had “not much” to do with the war in Ukraine, as it is part of a years-long effort by Bulgaria to modernize and upgrade its air force and improve interoperability with NATO allies.

Two years ago, Bulgaria had announced a previous purchase of F-16s jets.

As per another source, the aircraft will be delivered within three to four years.

Bulgaria had request 4 F-16 C Block 70 aircraft, 4 F-16 D Block 70 aircraft, 11 engines, 11 Improved Programmable Display Generators, and 11 AN/APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Scalable Agile Beam Radars.

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