Turkey will be able to buy 40 F-16 Block 70 fighters - the U.S. has removed restrictions preventing the sale of aircraft

Turkey has a chance to buy American fourth-generation F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters in Block 70 upgrades.

Here's What We Know

The United States has dropped restrictions that had prevented the sale of the planes to Turkey. This raises the possibility that Ankara could finally successfully negotiate the purchase of the fighters in 2023.

Articles restricting the sale of the F-16 Fighting Falcon have disappeared from the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This will allow Turkey to buy not only 40 Block 70 planes, but also a modernization kit for the fighters, which are already in service with the Turkish air force.

The F-16 fleet now has about 250 C/Ds upgraded to Block 30 and Block 50. Turkey wants to acquire 40 F-16 Block 70 fighters and upgrade kits for another 79 aircrafts.

Note that the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper is the latest upgrade of the fourth-generation aircraft. It appeared in 2015. The upgraded fighter has an APG-83 radar station, a new electronic warfare complex and support for Link 16 data transmission.

Source: Bulgarian Military, U.S. Senate