The Air Force, which has been unable to procure new fighter jets for over 20 years because of foreign policy obstacles, lost another fighter jet on Feb. 25, reducing the number of F-16s in its inventory to 233. Thus, the number of fighter jets in active service fell from approximately 450 to 252 over the same period.
An F-16 from the Balıkesir 9th Main Jet Base Command crashed at 12:56 a.m. on Feb. 25 for reasons that are still unknown, and its pilot was killed.
Two F-16 fighter jets took off as part of an alarm response mission after an unidentified radar trace was detected on the Bulgarian border, but one crashed, the Defense Ministry said on Feb. 26.
The pilot tried to activate the seat ejection system at the last moment to abandon the aircraft but he was unsuccessful. “The cause of the incident will be clarified following a detailed investigation by the accident investigation team,” the ministry said.
A SEARCH FOR A SOLUTION
Turkey procured a total of 270 F-16 C/D aircraft, 240 between 1987 and 2000 and 30 between 2012 and 2013. As of today, 37 of these aircraft are out of service.
Thirty-five of the Block 30s, which were the first F-16s to enter service, are being modernized under a project called “Özgür,” with the aim of extending their flight life until 2040. In addition, the Air Force inventory includes 19 F-4 Phantom II aircraft, whose flight life has been extended through modernization, and will be phased out by 2030 at the latest. In the 1990s, the number of F-4s in inventory had risen to 184.
The Air Force aims to meet its fighter jet requirements after 2030 with Eurofighter Typhoons in the first phase. Under the agreement signed with the U.K. last year, an order was placed for 20 Typhoon Tranche 4 aircraft, and 20 additional aircraft orders is still an option.
Beside this, negotiations are ongoing for the supply of 12 second-hand Typhoon Tranche 3A aircraft each from Qatar and Oman. The sale of all 24 Typhoons in the Qatar Air Force's inventory to Turkey is also under discussion.
While negotiations for procurement continue, a delegation from the Defense Ministry conducted a working visit to the U.K.’s RAF Coningsby Air Base Command between Feb. 24-27 for the purpose of planning training for aircrew and ground personnel.
On the other hand, during the Steadfast Dart 2026 Exercise held in Germany, Bayraktar TB3 UCAVs launched from the TCG Anadolu LHD ship conducted joint mission flights with Eurofighter Typhoons last week. A source from the Defense Ministry said that the joint operation of manned and unmanned platforms constitutes an important test for the future combat concept. These flights also tested the integration capacity of Turkish-made UCAVs into NATO systems.
KAAN FIGHTER JETS STILL MISSING ENGINES
The Kaan fighter jet project, another source of possible new inventory which is still in the prototype phase, continues to face problems with engine supply.
The first 40 aircraft equipped with the U.S. made engines were scheduled to be added to the Air Force inventory starting in 2029, but due to the CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) sanctions that Washington imposed on Ankara, there is a possibility of problems arising in the supply of F110 engines.
Ten engines were delivered from the U.S. for use in five prototype aircraft. An additional 80 engines need to be procured from the U.S. for the 40 aircraft to be produced in the first two blocks.
The U.S. has been imposing sanctions since 2019 due to Turkey's purchase of the S-400 air defense system from Russia. The issue of lifting the sanctions was discussed during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Sept. 25, 2025, and Trump said, “It depends. He's going to do something for us.”
There was no longer an obstacle to lifting sanctions due to the deactivation of the S-400 system, and the issue would be resolved within 4-6 months, U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack said on Feb. 5.
If the U.S. lifts its CAATSA sanctions, Turkey also aims to return to the F-35 project to strengthen its aircraft fleet. The procurement of 40 F-16 Block 70 Viper aircraft from the U.S. was also discussed, but negotiations did not reach a conclusion.
COUNTING DOWN FOR KIZILELMA
The Air Force will attempt to partially address the fighter jet shortage by introducing the Bayraktar Kızılelma unmanned combat aircraft into service in the coming months, targeting April.
In Nov. 2025, the Gökdoğan Beyond-Visual-Range Missile, developed by TUBİTAK-SAGE (Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey Defense Industry R&D Center), was integrated into the Kızılelma, giving it air-to-air combat capability. Finally, Aselsan's FEWS-U electronic warfare suite was also integrated into Kızılelma and the first functional test flight was conducted last week.
Aselsan announced that this system, developed to enhance the survivability and operational effectiveness of unmanned aerial platforms, detects and analyzes radar threats directed at the aircraft it is integrated into and acts as a shield against these threats with electronic warfare countermeasures.
Aselsan’s Murad 100-A AESA radar, electro optical sensor and targeting system Toygun and infrared search and tracking system Karat have also been integrated to Kızılelma in recent months.
Baykar Aviation aims to deliver the first Kızılelma by April at the latest. Turkey's second 285-meter UAV carrier has also been designed as a platform suitable for deploying the Kızılelma and its construction began last year. The construction of the carrier ship is planned to be completed in 10 years.
The 14.5-meter-long Kızılelma can carry 1,500 kg of ammunition and remain airborne for 3 hours. Its operational altitude is 25,000 feet, and its service ceiling is 45,000 feet.
