Turkish Aerospace Industries delivered the last four upgraded F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan as part of "the Peace Drive" program between Turkey and Pakistan's Ministry of Defense.
The remaining four out of 41 aircraft were handed over in a ceremony in Ankara on Tuesday. The company, known by the acronym TUSAŞ, signed a contract to upgrade and test aircraft with Pakistan's Ministry of Defense in 2009. Under the program, Turkish technicians were to upgrade and test 41 aircraft and the first of the planes was delivered two years ago.
The second edition of the Peace Drive program, which started in October 2010, was due for completion by September 2014. The required parts, materials and technical data were given to TUSAŞ as part of another contract between the U.S. government and the Pakistani Air Force.
TUSAŞ's chairman Yalcın Kaya said that "the upgraded F-16s would certainly and proudly increase the Pakistan Air Force's reliability and functionality."
Pakistan Air Marshall Sohail Aman said both Pakistan and Turkey need to collaborate more in the future. "The future of the three countries [U.S., Turkey and Pakistan] is together since the objective of all three countries is to make the world safer," he said.
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