The United States Department of State approved the sale of 40 F-16 Block 70 fighters and 70 modernization kits to Turkey on Friday (26). Valued at US$23 billion, the deal comes shortly after the Turkish parliament approved Sweden's hip in NATO. The sale, however, must still be approved by US congressmen.
Published by Security and Defense Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the note notifies Congress of the State Department's approval of the sale. In addition to planes, weapons (bombs and missiles), navigation, communication and self-defense systems, radars, mission computers, spare engines and several other products are included.
As previously reported, the sale of fighter jets to Turkey, negotiated since 2021, was conditional on the ratification of Sweden's entry into the military alliance, of which the Turks have been since 1952. With the ratification approved by Turkish legislators (still lacking the signature of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan), US President Joe Biden, began moves to secure approval from congressmen.
The US president's intentions were confirmed by State Department spokesman Vedant Patel. “President Biden and Secretary [of State] Blinken have made very clear our for the modernization of Turkey’s F-16 fleet, which we consider a fundamental investment in NATO interoperability.”
Although Washington and Ankara are long-time partners, relations between the two countries have deteriorated in recent years, directly affecting the country's defense investments. If it weren't for these diplomatic problems, the Turkish Air Force could already be modernizing its F-16s or about to receive new planes from the factory. Turkey today has the third largest fleet of F-16s, with around 243 aircraft of the type in service.
The agreement, which will be carried out through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, includes, in addition to new aircraft and upgrades, a series of items:
- modernization upgrade kits for F-16 Block 40 and Block 50+ aircraft and Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) modifications;
- 149 AN/APG-83 SABR AESA radars, including 10 spares;
- 952 AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles;
- 401 AIM-9X Block II short-range air-to-air missiles;
- 1434 KMU-556, 557 and 559 kits for GBU-31, GBU-31v3 and GBU-32 JDAM bombs;
- 864 GU-39 SDB 1 smart bombs;
- 192 AGM-88B and AGM-88E anti-radar missiles;
- Helmets with integrated display t Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems (JHMCS) II and Scorpion HObIT.
According to DSCA, the sale s “the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States” and allows Turkey to “expand and modernize its fleet of F-16 aircraft as older aircraft approach the end of their life. useful." If approved, the purchase will reinforce the order book of Lockheed Martin – manufacturer of the F-16 and main firm on the contract – which currently has 135 orders for the model.
