ISTANBUL, Turkey, May 16 (UPI) -- Turkey has agreed to a $75 million deal to modernize Pakistan's F-16 fleet.
Some of the Pakistani jets have already been flown to Turkey, a senior Turkish official told reporters Saturday at the Istanbul-based Foreign Economic Relations Board.
The weekend announcement comes amid continued controversy regarding a pending $700 million sale of 8 F-16s from the U.S. to Pakistan.
Some U.S. lawmakers have questioned Pakistan's use of such new jets and its steadfastness as an American ally when opposing the sale.
Volkan Yuzer, the economic relations board's Asia-Pacific regional coordinator, said Turkish-Pakistani relations were growing in the defense industry and that Turkey was already manufacturing F-16 jet engines and spare parts for the country.