Turkey upgrades F-16 fighter jets to Block 70/72 Viper level without US involvement - aircraft will receive AESA radar, a new communications system and an analogue of AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles

The situation around Turkey's purchase of F-16 Fighting Falcon jets changes every week. It is possible that Turkey will upgrade the fighters in-house.

Here's What We Know

In mid-March, the country's top officials expressed their willingness to give up the purchase of the Block 70/72 (Viper) level F-16s because negotiations with the US had reached an impasse. A few days ago, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Turkey "should get" both the planes and the upgrade kits.

At the same time, Savunma Sanayi ST reported that the Turkish fighters would be upgraded without the participation of the United States. The fourth-generation aircraft modernization project is called ÖZGÜR.

According to the source, Turkey will be able to upgrade all Block 30, Block 40 and Block 50 aircraft to Block 70/72. The Turkish Air Force's fighter fleet includes more than two hundred fourth-generation aircraft.

As part of the modernization project, they will receive a new active phased array radar from Aselsan. Thanks to gallium nitride, the radar station performs better than any of its counterparts. The radar will be able to track naval, ground and air targets.

Interestingly, when information about the new radar was released it was said that Turkey would only be able to modernise 35 of the 43 F-16 Block 30 aircraft. This was attributed to the lack of source code for Block 40 and Block 50.

In addition to the radar, the upgrades include a new digital cockpit, which will allow the display of information on the pilot's helmet in augmented reality mode. The fighters will also receive a Turkish version of the Link 16 communications system, which allows them to exchange data with fifth-generation aircraft and recognise other aircraft in friend-or-foe mode.

Another upgrade for Turkey's F-16s is to support Merlin and Peregrin missiles. They are a replacement for the US AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles. Turkey successfully tested them last summer.

Source: Savunma Sanayi ST