F-16 Block 30/40/50 Ozgur
Within the scope of ÖZGÜR [Liberty], the Domestic Mission Computer (Millî görev Bilgisayari) and various indigenous sub-components developed with domestic means will be integrated into the Turkish F-16 Block 30s for the first time. In addition, with the life extension project, structural modernisation will be applied to Falcons, which have been on duty for a long time. In addition, AESA radar integration will be carried out on the aircraft. President of the Defence Industry Agency, Professor Haluk Görgün, said the Turkish plane would reach a better capacity than the F-16 Block 70 level with domestic equipment.
As of 2023 Turkiye's holdings of 238 aircraft were:
- 36 F-16 Block 30TM
- 102 F-16 Block 40M
- 71 F-16 Block 50M
- 29 F-16 Block 50+ with CFTs
Turkiye would either upgrade 79 block 40 and 50s to Viper standard and leave out 29 Block 50+, which meant upgrading 130 fighters to Özgür standard, or upgrading 29 Block 50+ and 50 block 40s+ block 50s to Viper standard and upgrading 159 fighters to Özgür standard, which is equivalent to Block 70 avionics. All 32 x F-16 Block 30’s that were upgraded to Ozgur standard fly with Aselsan Murad GaN based AESA radars- making them 4.5 Generation fighter jets, equivalent and even has better features than the Block 70.
In May 2021, in an exclusive interview the President of SSB Prof. Dr. Ismail Demir spoke to defensehere.com about "Project Liberty (Özgür)". "Liberty is a project carried out independently of the USA. So, if we were to be specific it is not exactly an agreement, but the outcome of Liberty has been successful so far and began to be integrated into our aircraft. The systems are being integrated into the F-16s in blocks. Right now, we began the process of integrating a block into an F-16. In terms of the other blocks; there are slight differences in their development process, once finished, the process for their integration will also begin."
F-16 Block 30 which will receive 'Project Liberty' modernisation are having airframe life extensions, life extensions were done domestically without Lockheed Martin. Turkey has around 40 Block 30s. “In the project, where engineering works are carried out for the renovation and revision of 1,200 to 1,500 structural parts per aircraft, repair, and replacement and fuselage reinforcement applications are carried out where necessary,” Demir explained.
In a statement made January 31, 2021 on his official social media account, President of Defence Industries Prof. Dr. Ismail Demir said, "Structural upgrades of F-16 Block-30 Aircraft are continuing at full speed. Within the scope of the project, engineering studies are carried out for the renovation and revision of 1200-1500 structural parts per aircraft, and necessary repair, replacement, and fuselage improvement activities are carried out. With the project carried out by Turkish Aerospace Industries, we aim to increase the structural life of our F-16 aircraft, the main striking element of our air force, from 8000 hours to 12000 hours."
In 2022 Turkey began serial modernization of 35 F-16 Block 30 fighters from the Turkish Air Force. The modernization is carried out under the Ozgur project and includes a mission computer with national [Turkish] avionics and national [Turkish] OFP software. The modernization includes a national mission computer, system interface module, upper front control panel of the cockpit, hydraulic fuel gauge, engine shield, emergency indicator, national [Turkish] sound safety device, identification friend-foe [IFF], multi-mode receiver, inertial navigation system. The helmets of the Turkish pilots of the F-16 will also receive an upgrade, and it is expected that an integrated helmet targeting system, an indicator in the central cockpit, and a color multifunction display will be integrated.
The MURAD AESA radar developed for the F-16 would have 1,152 GaN T/R Modules. The new Turkish AESA radar, which is being developed by Aselsan, will be able to search at long distances [not specified] and will be able to track the intercepted target, as well as multiple targets [not reported how many]. The radar will show weather conditions, detect a target, and assist the pilot during air combat. The radar will be able to participate in both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, making it multifunctional. Ahmet Akyol, Head of Electronic Warfare and Radar Systems Department of the Presidency of Defense Industries, said that domestic AESA nose radar have better specs than the APG-83 radar F-16 b-70 Viper radar.
Muhammet Mustafa Akkul, ASELSAN Radar Systems Engineering Director, announced the schedule regarding the national AESA aircraft radar with the following words: “It will be a very important technological leap for our aviation. We are also developing a radar capable of active electronic scanning for our own F16s. This of course has great advantages. Especially when you enter Air Combat, it has great advantages over radars with standard mechanical steerable antennas. We will use structures that use the building blocks of this radar, such as this radar and GaN, in both Aknca and the F-16. What we learn from here, of course, creates a wealth of knowledge while making the nose radar of the National Combat Aircraft. An important technological development for us. Inshallah, we will enter Akinci towards the end of 2021, and we will start the integration studies with the F-16 in 2022. MMU is already targeted to 2026.”
Block 40/50 upgrades include structural improvements and the integration of an Ozgur suite to the aircraft, in addition to most enhancements to the Block-30. The Block-30s were expected to be delivered from 2025 to 2027, and the Block 40/50s from 2028 to 2030. On 11 May 2023 Defense Industry President Ismail Demir stated; "We have signed the F-16 Ozgur modernization contracts for our F-16 B40 & B50 aircraft. In this case, the purchase of the Viper modernization kit from the United States can be cancelled. This is because Ozgur modernization + MURAD (AESA) radar aims for further advancements."
Within the scope of the ÖZGÜR Project, which had been under development for a while, the acceptance of two prototypes was completed following the completion of the qualification. An agreement was signed for the serial production phase of the project at the IDEF'23 International Defence Industry Fair held in Istanbul in July 2023.
With ÖZGÜR II, ASELPOD, Gökdogan, and Bozdogan air-to-air missiles and HGK-82 certification will also be performed for all F-16s. Under the F-16 Block-30 ÖZGÜR-II Project, several key objectives are set to be achieved. These include obtaining External Load Certification for various ammunition types, miniature bombs, and the ASELPOD system. Additionally, the project aims to integrate AESA Nose Radar into ÖZGÜR Aircraft, incorporate T Link, IFF BSC, RNE, and 9681 V/UHF airborne radio equipment, and facilitate the integration of Bozdogan and HGK-82 munitions into the F-16 Block-30 ÖZGÜR Aircraft, which are to be modernized under FEWS and Gökdogan Integration Project Contract, with the ultimate goal of achieving serial production of the final product.
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