Turkey Upgrades F-16 Fighter Jets with Mission Computer System Made in Domestically |
The MGB's mission computers serve to expand the capabilities of F-16 pilots through the latest avionics infrastructure. Turkish F-16s will receive a new console with multifunction color display. Turkey will also upgrade the "friend-foe" system. A Turkish source said the domestically made "friends-enemy" system is equivalent to NATO's KY58 and KY100.
The third important component that will help upgrade the Turkish F-16s is the replacement of the new radar. Turkey's obsolete F-16 Block 30 fighter jet radar will receive the MURAD AESA radar designed and manufactured by Turkish company Aselsan.
Turkey claims that the MURAD AESA radar has better detection and targeting than its US competitor, the APG-83 radar. Bosphorus media reported that a total of 79 F-16 Block 30 fighter aircraft of the Turkish Air Force will be modernized under Turkey's Ozgur program.
The mission computer was designed by the Research Center for Informatics and Information Security Advanced Technologies (BİLGEM) of the Türkiye Scientific and Technological Research Council (TÜBİTAK). Later this mission computer was delivered to the Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI). This increase makes the capabilities of the Turkish F-16 fighter jets more sophisticated and extends their service life.
Most importantly, Turkey is not completely dependent on mission computer systems made by other countries and can be applied to TAI's 5th generation fighter aircraft.