Contract awarded for Turkey F-16 upgrades

The $635 million pact awarded by the U.S. government is a Fixed Price Incentive contract that continues the modernization project started in 2005 under an agreement between the two nations. The deal calls for an extensive upgrade of 117 of Turkey's 200 F-16s with new cockpit controls, avionics, and electronic warfare countermeasures. They will also receive the AN/APG-69(V)9 radar, which is currently used on advanced F-16s.

"As the Original Equipment Manufacturer of the F-16, our role is to provide our customers with an affordable solution to modernize their existing fleets," Lockheed Vice President Willy Moore said in a news release Tuesday.

Under the terms of the agreement, Lockheed will supply and install 216 modernization kits for the F-16C and F-16D models. The work will take place both in Turkey and at Lockheed's Fort Worth plant through early 2016.

Turkey's F-16s date back to the 1980s-vintage Block 30 and 40 series. Turkey this fall ordered 30 brand new F-16Cs from the latest-model Block 50 series and is considering adding the Joint Strike Fighter to its arsenal. United Press International