May 18, 2007: Turkey is buying another thirty U.S.
F-16D fighters, for about $49 million each. This includes ground equipment,
technical services, training, and some spare parts. Turkey already has about
230 F-16s in service, and the new buy is partly in response to its ancient
rival, Greece, buying 30 more F-16s. Turkey is also spending $1.1 billion
upgrading many of its existing F-16s. The 16 ton aircraft is one of the most
popular fighters in service (with 24 nations). The F-16 entered service in
1978, and over 4,000 have been built. It's replacement is the F-35.