Last F-16 Jet Delivered to Turkish Air Forces

The last of the F-16 fighter jets produced by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Lockheed Martin as part of the Peace Onyx IV Program was delivered to the Turkish Air Force with a ceremony yesterday.

Speaking at the ceremony, Özcan Ertem, TAI’s Aircraft Group president, said the F-16 was a very important and special product, and that the program was successfully completed ahead of the deadline with the delivery of the 308th jet.

Jeff Babione, vice president of the F-16/F-22 Integrated Fighter Group, told the audience at the same ceremony that the program was a result of the devotion, dedication and hard work of TAI employees.

“I thank everyone who worked on the project, in the hope that our strong cooperation with TAI that started in 1984 will continue,” he said. Serdar Demirel, deputy undersecretary at
Turkey’s Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM), thanked U.S. and Turkish officials, as well as Lockheed Martin and TAI employees, who contributed to the F-16 project. TAI and Lockheed Martin launched the F-16 program in 1984 and TAI produced 308 fighter jets in the program.

The Turkish Air Force strikes PKK in northern Iraq

The Turkish Air Force conducted a series of strikes against the bases of the fighters of the Workers Party of Kurdistan (PKK) in northern Iraq, local media reported Thursday quoting military sources.

The Turkish air force attacked anti-aircraft batteries, shelter and infrastructure Kurdish separatists in the regions of Zap, Avasin, and Metina Haftanin. Hunter-F-16 bombers were involved in the raids, according to Dogan news agency.

Until now, the Staff of the Turkish Army has not issued an official statement about the operation. No information on possible victims of the attack is not available for the moment.

The Kurdistan Workers Party has been fighting for nearly 25 years for the autonomy of the Kurds on part of Turkish territory. This conflict has already been about 40,000 deaths. The PKK terrorist organization has been recognized by the United Nations and the European Union.

Determined to suppress separatism by force, the Turkish authorities refused any dialogue with Kurdish militants.