Türkiye hands over F-16 fighter jets to its air force after upgrade

Turkish Defence Industries Chief Ismail Demir has said that the first F-16 fighter jets upgraded by domestic companies have been handed over to the Turkish Air Force command.

The domestic F-16 fighter jet modernisation project was initiated by the Defence Industries under the Turkish Presidential Administration and named ÖZGÜR (Independent), Anadolu Agency reports.

As part of this project, the aircraft's radars, controls, avionics and other systems were replaced, increasing the F-16 Block-30's service life from 8,000 to 12,000 hours.

A similar upgrade process is envisaged for the F-16 Block 40 and 50 versions. The aircraft can thus be used until the 2040s.

The aircraft has integrated domestic avionics systems, bringing the machines up to the level of the Viper.

Since the upgraded F-16's flight computer is domestic, other technological solutions developed by the Turkish defence industry can be integrated into the aircraft.

Thanks to domestic communications systems, F-16 pilots will be able to communicate with UAVs, including strike drones, as well as with other aircraft and offshore platforms.

A key part of the upgrade was the integration of a new communication system into the aircraft, which recognises other aircraft in friend-or-foe mode.