September 1, 2006 at 3:21 am
ANKARA, Aug 30 (Reuters) – NATO-member Turkey will purchase 30 F16 fighter jets as part of a plan to modernise its military, the chief of the air force said on Wednesday.
“We will purchase 30 F16s by 2011. We are still trying to find the funds but I don’t think that will be a problem,” Air Force chief General Faruk Comert told reporters during a Victory Day celebration, marking Turkey’s war of independence.
The jets are made by the U.S. firm Lockheed Martin (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research).
Turkey, which has the second largest military force in NATO, was reported earlier this year to be planning to invest $10 billion on 100 new fighter aircraft.