ANKARA, Feb 26 (Reuters) – NATO member Turkey is investigating the still unknown cause of an F-16 fighter jet crash that killed its pilot shortly after takeoff on a mission toward the Bulgarian border region, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
Two F-16s took off simultaneously early on Wednesday from the 9th Main Jet Base Command in Balikesir, in northwest Turkey, as part of an alarm-reaction mission after an unidentified radar track was detected near the border with Bulgaria, the ministry said.
Once radio contact and radar tracking were lost shortly after departure, search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched and later reached the wreckage.
“The cause of the incident will be clarified following a detailed examination by the crash investigation team,” the ministry said, adding that the pilot had activated the ejection system at the last moment before the crash.
Turkey has around 250 F-16 fighter jets in its inventory and has a pending order with the United States to purchase 40 new F-16 Block 70 aircraft as part of a fleet modernisation programme.
(Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Jonathan Spicer )
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