Turkey F-16s can now hit Israel targets

Tue Sep 13, 2011

Turkey has developed a new system for its US-made F-16 fighter jets that will allow them for the first time to fire at Israeli targets, a report says.

The new Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) -- an identification system designed for command and control -- developed by Turkey's Military Electronics Industry (ASELSAN) will replace the US version of the system that was being run on the fighter jets so far, Turkey's Star Gazete newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The US system identified all Israeli targets as a 'friend,' thus preventing the Turkish fighter jets from firing at them automatically, even if the Turkish pilots were ordered to fire at them, the report said.

The new system, however, will allow Turkey to define its enemies itself, the report said.

The Turkish IFF will be mounted on all Turkish fighter jets, military vessels and submarines in the near future.

The report noted that the new IFF system has been developed in a time of increasing tension between Ankara and Tel Aviv.

The US-made IFF, categorized all Israeli targets, alongside NATO targets, as 'friend,' despite the fact that Israel is not a member state of NATO.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/198866.html.