Ankara, April 26, SPA -- Turkey has signed a 1.1-billion-dollar deal with the United States to modernize 117 F-16 warplanes, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul announced on Tuesday. Gonul said the deal, signed by the defense ministries of both countries, would see all of Turkey's F-16s updated by 2012. "With this project Turkey's F-16s will be modernized with the latest systems," Gonul said at a press conference with U.S. ambassador to Ankara Eric Edelman. Gonul said 400 million out of the total budget for the modernization would be spent in Turkey where Turkish firms would be involved. --SPA 1422 Local Time 1122 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/258067