Turkey sends 25 F-16 fighter jets close to the Syrian border

As Syria and Turkey exchange fire for the seventh straight day, Ankara has announced up to 25 F-16 fighter jets were moved closer to the border, at Diyarbakir airbase.

The aircraft represent the manned component of the reinforced Turkish air defense system in the region that includes both Hawk and Stinger anti-aircraft units that have already been put on heightened alert status for months.

The multi-role planes, that can be used to both launch air strikes and intercept any Syrian aircraft getting a bit too close to the border, have joined two local-based squadrons of F-16C/D Block 40s (181 and 182 Filo) as well as F-4 Phantom jets (similar to the reconnaissance one shot down inside the Syrian airspace on Jun. 22) already deployed there and involved in previous retaliation attacks.

In fact, according to some Turkish media outlets, the F-4s from Diyarbakir were used to designate ground targets beyond the border that had been detected through AN/TPQ-36 mobile land radars. Rounds were then fired by Firtina howitzers targeting artillery units in Tel Abyad.

The Firtina is capable to maneuver on all sorts of land, making six shots in one minute at a distance up to 40 kilometers, and then move quite fast, to reduce the risk of being subjected to enemy fire.