The US will approve the sale of the most advanced F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jets to Turkey under a contract worth $20bn

It seems that the issue with the sale of F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters to Turkey has finally been resolved. This was revealed by Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to the US President.

Here's What We Know

Jake Sullivan said that Joe Biden supports the transfer of modernised F-16 Block 70/72 fighters to Turkey. The US President is expected to approve the deal after consulting with the US Congress.

Turkey submitted the request back in 2021. Ankara wants to receive 40 F-16 Block 70/72 fighters and upgrade kits for existing Fighting Falcon aircraft. The total value of the deal is estimated at $20bn.

The Turkish Armed Forces have more than 260 F-16C/D Block 30 and Block 50 fighters at their disposal. In April, the U.S. State Department approved a potential sale of $259 million worth of aircraft modernisation kits.

In May, Turkey began upgrading the F-16s to Block 70/72 with its own forces. The Turkish modernisation package is called ÖZGÜR. The upgrade allows the aircraft to carry two dozen missiles, among them Merlin and Paregrin as an analogue to the AIM-120 AMRAAM.

The upgrade brings a new radar with an active phased array antenna and gallium nitride-based modules. The radar can track targets on the ground, in the air and at sea.

Source: Reuters