Turkey upgraded the first F-16 fighter to the level of Block 70/72 Viper without the participation of the United States

Turkey decided not to wait for supplies of equipment for the modernization of the F-16 from the United States and began improving the fighters

on your own. The head of the defense industry, Ismail Demir, said that the first aircraft had been upgraded.

What is known

The Turkish modernization program is called ÖZGÜR.After the upgrade, the F-16 fighter is at the same level as the Block 70/72 Viper. The aircraft can carry two dozen Turkish-made missiles, including Merlin and Peregrin, which are replacements for the AIM-120 AMRAAM.

Türkiye has upgraded the F-16 Block 30 fighter.In the future, Block 40 and Block 50 aircraft will also have to undergo an upgrade. In total, it is planned to upgrade more than 200 fighters.

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One of the key components of ÖZGÜR isa new radar station with an active phased array antenna. It was developed by Aselsan. The radar contains modules based on gallium nitride and is able to track targets in the air, on land and at sea.

In addition, the F-16 ÖZGÜR received a new digital cockpit. It makes it possible to display additional information about the mission on the pilot's helmet in augmented reality mode.

One of the most important components of Block modernization70/72 is the Link 16 communications system. It allows the F-16 to exchange data with fifth-generation fighters and Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as recognize aircraft in “friend-foe” mode. The ÖZGÜR program involves installing a Turkish analogue of Link 16, but there are no details about this yet.