Turkey has completed a deal with the American aerospace company Lockheed Martin for the delivery of 30 new F-16 combat jets, Bulgarian news agency BTA said on March 12 2009.

Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) has won a $797 million contract for the modification and supply of 14 F-16C and 16 F-16D Block 50 fighter jets to the Turkish government.

The deal between the two countries can be traced back to September 2006, when the Pentagon approved the sale to Turkey of the 30 fighter jets, engines, radar and electronic warfare equipment, a deal valued at a total $2.9 billion if all the initial parametres were all subsequently executed.

With this move, the US government and its Turkish counterpart claim that the sale and supply of the aircraft  would improve Turkey's ability to defend its own borders as well as augment its potential to contribute to US-led anti-terrorism efforts and Nato operations.

Lockheed, which signed a contract with Turkey in May 2007 for its part of the work, a deal valued at $1.78 billion, won an initial amount of $187 million in July 2007 to begin purchasing long-lead items for the fighter jets.

F-16C is a single seat jet and the F-16D variant is a two-seat aircraft. They were introduced in service in 1984 with the USAF. The aircraft added all-weather capability with beyond-visual-range (BVR) and it is armed with AIM-7 and AIM-120 air-air missiles.

The Block 25 marked a drastic improvement in cockpit avionics, as well as the installation of a new and upgraded mark of the AN/APG-68 radar system. Block 25s F-16s were first delivered with the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-200 engine and later upgraded to the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220E.

Designed as a lightweight fighter, the F-16 concept metamorphosed into a multi-purpose all-weather combat and superiority fighter/bomber interceptor. The Falcon's versatility is behind its international success and the large numbers sold, as it is currently in active service in the air forces of 25 nations.

To date, the F-16 programme represents the largest Western jet fighter roster, with more than 4400 aircraft built since production was initially approved in 1976.

The United States air force is no longer a participant in the programme; it will gradually replace the plane by the F-35 VTOAL, but the old model will continue to be in active service in the USAF until 2025. Meanwhile, advanced versions are still being built for export customers.