00:07For decades, Turkey has operated one of the largest F-16 fleets in the world.
00:14But today, there is a major question surrounding these fighter jets.
00:19How does Turkey keep such a large fleet operational
00:22while reducing its dependence on the United States?
00:30The answer lies, in decades of experience,
00:33a growing domestic aerospace industry and one major modernization program, OSGAR.
00:40Turkey's journey toward greater independence
00:42began long before the current geopolitical tensions.
00:51For years, Turkey produced F-16 domestically under license,
00:56gaining valuable experience in aircraft assembly, maintenance,
01:01structural manufacturing, and modernization.
01:03That industrial knowledge eventually became the foundation for something much bigger.
01:15Today, Turkish facilities can perform extensive maintenance
01:19and overhaul work on F-16 airframes.
01:22While companies such as TUZIS and TEI contribute to aircraft and engine sustainment,
01:28one important facility is the first air maintenance factory directorate in Eskeseir.
01:35Here, Turkish personnel can carry out major depot-level maintenance and manufacture,
01:40a wide range of replacement components.
01:49TEI or TUZIS engine industries also plays an important role
01:53in maintaining the F-16, American-made F-110 engine.
01:58This is significant because the engine remains
02:01one of the most important U.S. origin components
02:04in Turkey's fighter fleet.
02:11Turkey can manufacture and maintain many components locally,
02:15reducing its dependence on overseas supply chains.
02:19But maintaining an aircraft is only half the challenge.
02:23The bigger question is,
02:24how do you keep an older F-16 technologically relevant in the 21st century?
02:30This is where the OSGAR modernization program comes in.
02:39OSGAR is essentially Turkey's attempt to transform its existing F-16
02:45with a greater level of indigenous technology.
02:48Instead of relying entirely on foreign upgrade packages,
02:53Turkish companies are replacing major parts of the aircraft's avionics and mission systems.
03:03OSGAR has developed a national mission computer and avionics architecture
03:08designed to make the aircraft easier to integrate with Turkish weapons and sensors.
03:14The aircraft can also receive modern cockpit displays,
03:18navigation systems, identification systems, and helmet-mounted technologies.
03:23And perhaps one of the most important upgrades is the Murad AESA radar.
03:33An AESA radar can provide modern detection and tracking capabilities,
03:39while supporting multiple targets and different air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
03:44This gives older F-16 a pathway toward much greater combat capability,
03:50without completely replacing the aircraft.
03:58But Turkey isn't only upgrading the electronics.
04:02It is also extending the structural life of the aircraft.
04:06Some F-16 originally, designed for around 8,000 flight hours,
04:11can undergo structural work intended to extend their service life toward approximately 12,000 hours.
04:18That involves replacing or overhauling a large number of structural components.
04:24And there is another major advantage.
04:30Turkey can integrate its own weapons.
04:33Systems such as SLM cruise missiles, HGK and KGK guided weapons,
04:40and Gaktigan air-to-air missiles can be incorporated
04:43into the aircraft's indigenous combat architecture.
04:47This gives Turkey greater freedom to develop and integrate weapons,
04:51without depending on foreign approval for every individual system.
04:55The geopolitical situation made this capability even more important.
05:06After Turkey purchased the Russian S-400 air defense system,
05:10the United States imposed KOTS-related sanctions,
05:13and Turkey was removed from the F-35 program.
05:17At the same time, questions surrounding access to certain U.S. equipment,
05:22upgrades and support became increasingly important.
05:26Turkey therefore began placing even greater emphasis on domestic aerospace capabilities.
05:32This was reflected in its approach to the proposed U.S. F-16 modernization package.
05:44Far from it.
05:45The F-16 is still an American-designed fighter,
05:49and the F-110 engine remains a critical U.S. origin system.
05:53Turkey continues to rely on foreign supply chains for certain specialized components,
05:59technologies, and support.
06:01And developing a completely indigenous fighter engine is a much more difficult challenge.
06:08Turkey's future plans therefore involve multiple paths at the same time.
06:17The F-16 fleet continues to provide a large and proven combat force.
06:23The OSGAR program is giving these aircraft a more indigenous technological foundation.
06:30The Eurofighter Typhoon is being pursued as another advanced fighter option.
06:35And in the longer term, Turkey is developing its own fifth-generation fighter, KAN.
06:46So, Turkey's strategy is not about becoming completely independent overnight.
06:52Instead, it is about reducing the number of areas where foreign restrictions can stop its air force from operating.
07:00The philosophy is simple.
07:02Maintain locally, manufacture locally, modernize locally, integrate local weapons,
07:08and gradually develop the technologies needed for the next generation of fighters.
07:19It is a story about industrial independence.
07:23A fighter originally built around American technology is increasingly being maintained,
07:29upgraded, and armed using Turkish systems.
07:33And as Turkey moves toward KAN and more advanced indigenous aerospace technologies,
07:38The F-16 fleet could become an important bridge between the country's past dependence on foreign systems
07:46and its ambition for greater defense industrial independence.
07:56What do you think about Turkey's approach to upgrading and maintaining its F-16 fleet?
08:03Do you think Turkey can become more independent in fighter technology?
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