Türkiye signs contract to upgrade F-16 Block 40/50 fighters

Türkiye signed a contract to upgrade F-16 Block 40/50 fighters, President of the Turkish Defence Industry Agency Ismail Demir has said.

"We have awarded our F-16 Block 40/50 contract and their process will be implemented. Our national projects will put Türkiye in an independent position," Demir stressed, Caliber.Az reports quoting Defence Turk's Twitter page.

🔴🇹🇷Savunma Sanayii Başkanı Prof. Dr. İsmail Demir: [Özgür Modernizasyonu] "F-16 Blok 40 / 50 ile ilgili olarak sözleşmemizi yaptık ve onların da süreci hayata geçmiş olacak. Bu açıdan bizim özgürleştirme projelerimiz Türkiye'yi bağımsız bir yere taşıyacak." pic.twitter.com/M48ikJuw5o

— Defence Turk (@Defence_Turk) May 10, 2023

Türkiye itself decided to upgrade the F-16s under the ÖZGÜR programme. As part of this modernisation, all aircraft will be upgraded with Turkish technology. The first modernised F-16 ÖZGÜR fighter jet was shown at TEKNOFEST 2023.