Targeting Infra-red for Night) system
under 161 Filo.
Following the 1991 Gulf War, Turkish
support was recognized with the
approval of a further 80 jets under Peace
Onyx II, signed o on March 26, 1992.
As before, TAI would produce the 60
F-16Cs and 20 F-16Ds, this time to the
more advanced Block 50 standard. These
featured the AN/APG-68(V5) radar, new
radar warning systems, and the ability to
employ the AGM-88 HARM (High-Speed
Anti-Radiation Missile).
Peace Onyx II was completed on
November 12, 1999, following the
delivery of F-16C 94-0096. This time, TAIadditionally built the front fuselages and
aperons, increasing its work-share to
80 per cent.
TAI’s success yielded further reward
when it was contracted to produce 40 of
46 new Block 40 aircraft for the Egyptian
Air Force within the framework of the
Peace Vector IV program, which ran until- This appeared to represent the nal
F-16 production work for TAI.
Modernization and
more jets
The THK decided to upgrade its F-16
eet in concert with the US Common
Con guration Implementation Program(CCIP) under Peace Onyx III. In 2005,
TAI was contracted to install Lockheed
Martin upgrade kits that included
the AN/APG-68(V)9 multi-mode
radar, color cockpit displays, the Joint
Helmet-Mounted Cueing System
(JHMCS), Link-16, Sniper targeting
pod and the APX-113 advanced
IFF interrogator/transponder. This
underpinned new weaponry such as
AGM-119 Penguin anti-ship missiles
and AIM-9X.
The modernization e ort was
carried out in two stages, starting
with 10 aircraft. The rst four were
sent to Fort Worth in 2009. These wereAbove: The THK
and Turkish
Aerospace
Industries have
developed strong
capabilities in
maintaining F-16s.
This Block 50
F-16D reveals its
AN/APG-68(V5)
radar.
Below: 191 Filo
‘Cobra’ was at
Balıkesir — as
illustrated by this
pristine Block
40 jet — but the
unit has now
disbanded.http://www.combataircraft.net // July 2018 77
74-79 Turkish F-16s C.indd 77 22/05/2018 15:53