Introduction
For over 70 years, Lockheed Martin aircraft, helicopters and security solutions have been strengthening Türkiye’s armed forces. Türkiye’s F-16 fleet, the second largest in NATO, is a cornerstone of the 21st Century Security battlespace. With the Fighting Falcon, Türkiye can support NATO missions with shared security objectives, benefitting from the aircraft’s capacity for interoperability. Lockheed Martin’s longstanding partnership with the Turkish Air Force is further strengthened by the F-16 Block 70 and Viper upgrades, which combine advanced capabilities with cost efficiency to enable Türkiye to meet strategic defense needs.
F-16 Block 70: Advancing Türkiye’s Air Defense
Cutting-Edge Radar Technology
The F-16 Block 70 is equipped with Northrop Grumman’s advanced SABR APG-83 AESA fire control radar and has 5th Generation fighter radar capabilities, delivering unparalleled situational awareness and all-weather targeting precision. Its technology provides pilots with detailed digital map displays that are customizable with slew and zoom features. Of added benefit, the radar’s commonality with the F-35’s radar is a remarkable 95% for software and 70% for hardware.
Life-Saving Safety Features
A standout addition to the F-16 Block 70 is Lockheed Martin’s Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS), which earned a Collier Trophy® for helping eliminate a leading cause of fatalities in military aviation. Designed to mitigate incidents of controlled flight into terrain, Auto GCAS has already saved 13 pilots and 12 F-16s since entering service in 2014. Its integration into the F-16 underscores the aircraft’s superior safety and performance capabilities.
Enhanced Situational Awareness
The F-16 Block 70’s high-resolution center pedestal display provides critical tactical imagery and seamlessly integrates AESA and targeting pod data. Pilots receive enhanced awareness from the pedestal’s color moving maps, enlarged air-to-air situation displays and zoom functionality. Their capabilities are augmented by digital flight instrument data displays and a color/night helmet-mounted display.
Unrivaled Weapon Integration
Lockheed Martin has more than 40 years of weapon integration experience with the F-16, which no other organization can match. Our experience as a weapon integrator has enabled the F-16 to develop into one of the most versatile multirole fighters.
Extended Structural Life
The F-16 Block 70 boasts an extended structural life of 12,000 hours, equivalent to over 40 years of service for most air forces, with minimal structural repairs required. This longevity, coupled with greater inspection intervals, significantly reduces maintenance costs.
Enhanced Operational Flexibility
The inclusion of conformal fuel tanks enhances the aircraft’s operational flexibility and increases its fuel capacity and mission range — without compromising its aerodynamic efficiency.
F-16 Viper (F-16V) Upgrades: Elevating Türkiye’s Air Defense
Strategic Advancements
The F-16V upgrade marks a significant advancement for Türkiye’s combat aircraft fleet, offering enhanced capabilities at a fraction of the cost of procuring new aircraft. With these upgrades, Türkiye’s F-16Vs enable Turkish Air Force pilots to mitigate emerging threats and support international missions more effectively.
Avionics Overhaul
The SABR APG-83 AESA radar, a comprehensive avionics enhancement, represents the essence of the F-16V upgrade. The APG-83’s beam agility enables interleaved air-to-air and air-to-surface operations that can be tailored to meet specific mission requirements. Additional aspects of the avionics overhaul are high-resolution displays, upgraded mission computers and a new display generator. Combined, these F-16V upgrades increase not only the aircraft’s operational efficiency but also Turkish pilots’ situational awareness.
Tailored Enhancements
F-16V upgrades (helmet-mounted displays, electronic warfare capabilities, etc.) can be customized to meet Türkiye-specific operational requirements. Even with customizations, Türkiye F-16Vs will come with Lockheed Martin’s Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod and Auto GCAS to ensure enhanced safety during critical missions. Also, the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) prolongs the lifespan of F-16 Block 40/50 airframes from 8,000 to 12,000 hours, aligning with the longevity of new-production F-16 Block 70 aircraft, giving Türkiye long-term air combat superiority.
Lockheed Martin and Türkiye: A Partnership for the Future
Türkiye has been a key operator in the F-16 program since the early 1980s and currently has a fleet of over 230 F-16s, second only to the U.S. Air Force. For four decades, the Turkish Air Force and Lockheed Martin have succeeded together in joint ventures, industrial partnerships and numerous cooperative efforts, continuing now with the F-16 Block 70 and F-16V upgrade package. Demonstrating our commitment to this partnership, we have always prioritized Türkiye’s evolving defense needs.
