By 2027, All Turkish F-16s Will Be ÖZGÜR (Free), Maintain Superiority in the Air

Turkish-American military and political relations were undoubtedly a parallel process. In the series of conferences between the Allies that began towards the end of the Second World War, Stalin's territorial demands from Turkey and requests for joint control of the Straits were occasionally made.

The Air Force Dimension of Turkish-American Relations

Lieutenant General Safter NECİOĞLU, one of our former Air Force Commanders (1988-1990), expressed this situation and the relations with the US, with which we are allied, as follows:

"Turkey feels threatened. It has just come out of the Second World War. The Straits, Kars, Ardahan, Kars, Ardahan and so on are under threat (from the Soviets). We have almost nothing. I was a ground troopsman at that time, so I know it closely. The Armed Forces have nothing!

The airmen were good again. Unfortunately, we were in great need of American aid. When we were dependent on the US, we naturally (as a nation) relied on it. When we relied on it, we made many concessions. What did the Americans do? Within the framework of the Truman Doctrine, it gave us the main equipment we needed with Marshall Aid. NATO built our infrastructure through ENF (infrastructure, infrastructure works). But in return, they started to command us using NATO. They brought airplanes they didn't use themselves and gave them to us. But they also charged us for the fuel used, for the men they sent to teach us how to fly. Then they wanted to use us, the Air Force, as a subordinate unit of the US. The Turkish Air Force was not attached to the 6th ATAF (Allied Tactical Air Force) in Izmir, but if a war broke out, our planes would go to war under the command of the 6th ATAF, wearing NATO hats. In such a situation, of course, you would act like a subordinate unit of the US.

Your armament, even your strategic decisions are inevitably affected by this... For example, we asked for the software source codes required for the integration of the electronic warfare equipment to be used in F-16s, but they refused to give them to us. So we insisted, and the US threatened us. For example, they said they would remove us from the logistics system and declare you non-standard. These kinds of things affected our decisions a lot. That's why we always wanted to be independent..."

I find the historical evaluations of our late Commander Necioğlu, who experienced all the modernization processes carried out by the Air Force with the support of the Western world after the Second World War, as well as the need for original and sovereign systems, very important and valuable. Indeed, as long as we cannot establish an original system of our own, we will always face these and similar limitations. I think this will not change even if we leave the Western world and move to the Eastern world. It was like this in the past. It is the same today. We Turks owe it to ourselves to overcome this dependency. The solution should not be found outside, but within, and I believe it will be found.

F-16 FREEDOM Project

As a matter of fact, Turkey's search for becoming "independent" and breaking dependence, as pointed out by Pasha NECİOĞLU, has always continued in the background. Towards the end of the 1990s, Turkey started to take the necessary steps in this direction, partially with the F-4 and F-5 modernization processes carried out together with Israel. In addition, valuable progress was made in the field of R&D-sized weapon integration for F-16s. Based on this experience, in the early 2010s, a more integrated, project-based path was decided to be taken for the modernization of the F-16 Block-30 aircraft. Thus, in these years, the F-16 Block-30 aircraft modernization project was decided. Within the scope of this project, it was aimed to introduce/integrate national avionics, national mission computer and national ammunition to the 35 F-16 Block-30 aircraft. In addition, it was planned to adapt digital versions of some flight instruments to the aircraft instead of analog, to integrate the national identification friend or foe (IFF) system, GPS, helmet integrated targeting system, color weapon and radar displays (MFD), along with an additional large screen MFD. In parallel with this project, it was aimed to carry out the structural modernization of Block 30 aircraft and to increase their airframe life from 8,000 hours to 12,000 hours in coordination with the US. Thus, with this project, which aimed to make our F-16s independent, it would have been possible to eliminate dependence on the US to a great extent. 

In this context, the contract for the "ÖZGÜR Project", worth a total of $46 million, was signed between the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) and TAI on March 6, 2012. On the same date, a subcontract was also signed between TAI, the prime contractor, and ASELSAN, the subcontractor. Within the scope of the project, one F-16C Block 30 aircraft was allocated to TAI by the Air Forces Command for development and flight tests.

With this project, the mission computer of the prototype aircraft was replaced with a national mission computer (using national software). The new generation national mission computer is designed as a system that provides centralized management of integrated avionic systems, and supports the pilot in the execution of the mission with advanced processing and graphics generation capabilities. In this way, the aircraft was provided with an architecture open to the integration of new ammunition and avionics systems. 

As a result, the first prototype F-16 Free Fighter, developed at TAI facilities with the support of ASELSAN, made its first flight on May 9, 2016, following the completion of system and ground tests. A series of flight tests, including ammunition integrations and firing tests, were completed by mid-2022. The first ÖZGÜR aircraft, whose structural modernization was also completed during the same period, is expected to be delivered to the Air Force by the end of this year.

While the Block-30 ÖZGÜR modernization process was ongoing, a protocol was signed between SSB, Air Force Command and ASELSAN in 2018 for the development of a multi-functional AESA nose radar with an active phased array antenna, and radar development activities were initiated. Following the completion of the development and testing activities of this radar, it is planned to be integrated into F-16 Block-30 aircraft. Work on the AESA project continues to ensure that the first radar will be ready in the near future.

Inclusion of F-16 Block-40/50 Aircraft in the ÖZGÜR Project

In the meantime, taking into account the problems experienced with the USA, the ÖZGÜR Project, which was initially planned for Block-30 aircraft, has started to be discussed to cover F-16 Block 40 and 50 blocks. Prof. Dr. İsmail Demir, President of the SSB, made the following statements about the F-16 Free Project in the "On Record Special" program broadcast on the Haber Global channel on August 10, 2022

"We will definitely do the F-16 modernization ourselves. We can do it very well. In addition, the mission computer and other elements of the avionics, which are equipped with completely national systems, can be put into operation as a completely domestic system. This was brought to a certain point with our Özgür Project in the Block 30s. It will be implemented in the Block 40s and 50s. We have no hesitation in that regard."

As of September 23, 2021, the F-35 program is completely closed. Immediately after that, on September 30, 2021, Turkey made an official application to the US, requesting 40 F-16 Block-70 aircraft and kits for the modernization of 80 aircraft in the inventory. While these negotiations were ongoing, the SSB apparently carried out some work in the background to make Block 40/50 aircraft ÖZGÜR, as Mr. Demir put it. Now, the idea of including all the remaining F-16s in a modernization process similar to the Block-30s has started to gain seriousness. To the best of our knowledge, there is no signed project yet, but it is expected that the SSB and TAI will soon reach a stage where they will be able to sign the ÖZGÜR project, which will also free Block 40/50 aircraft from dependency. Prior to this, it is hoped to reach an agreement with the US on the legal aspects of these new modifications.

After the ÖZGÜR modification of all aircraft is completed, it may be possible to upgrade all F-16s to the national Block-70 (Viper) and perhaps Block 80-90 with an additional modernization. 

Conclusion

If these steps are taken, which are expected and do not seem to be a major obstacle, it is possible to complete the F-16 FREEDOM modifications of all F-16s by 2027. If this happens, I foresee that around 235 F-16 ÖZGÜR aircraft will enter the inventory, which will be in some ways equivalent to the aircraft of Greece, which will upgrade its 84 F-16s to Block-72 (Viper) level on the same date. 

Thus, with the addition of new weapon systems, sensor and electronic warfare capabilities, and advanced AESA radar to the F-16s, which are planned to be acquired with the National Combat Aircraft (NCA) development process, I believe that F-16 ÖZGÜR+ aircraft will continue to serve as the main fighter aircraft of the Turkish Air Force until the end of their airframe life in the 2030s. In line with all these expectations, I believe that Turkey can continue to maintain its current superiority in the Aegean Airspace, and that this can be easily achieved.

References:

Muhammed Ayyıldız, F-16 Blok 30 Modernizasyonu: ÖZGÜR Projesi, 9 Kasım 2020, https://www.savunmasanayist.com/f-16-blok-30-modernizasyonu-ozgur-projesi/

İlknur Kahraman,Özgür Projesi, F-16 Block 40 ve 50’ye uygulanabilecek, 10 Ağustos 2022, https://www.defenceturk.net/ozgur-projesi-f-16-block-40-ve-50ye-uygulanabilecek

Oğuzcan Atış, Cem Doğut, F-16'ların yerine 3 alternatif, Milliyet, 4 Ekim 2022, https://www.cnnturk.com/dunya/f-16larin-yerine-3-alternatif?page=1

H.İbrahim Fırtına, Alçalmadan Yükselenler, Komutanlar Anlatıyor, Kırmızı Kedi Yayınevi, 3. Basım, 2020, s.208-209.