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The Turkish Air Force has officially inducted the F-16 Electronic Support Pod (EDPOD), a homegrown electronic warfare system developed by TUBITAK Informatics and Information Security Research Center (BILGEM), into its operational inventory.
The announcement was made by Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacir, who stated that the system has successfully completed flight tests against real radar systems.
The EDPOD is a tactical electronic warfare system designed to detect, classify, record, and geolocate radar signals from enemy target detection, tracking, missile guidance, and target illumination radars.
Designed and built entirely with domestic resources, EDPOD is intended to significantly reduce Türkiye’s foreign dependency in the defense sector.
"Developed to reduce our country’s dependence on foreign defense technologies, EDPOD has provided a strategic contribution to our electronic warfare capabilities," Kacir shared on social media.
Noting that the system is "an advanced electronic warfare system capable of detecting signals from enemy target detection and tracking, missile guidance, and target illumination radars, identifying threats, recording them, and performing precise geolocation," Kacir added, "I congratulate all our colleagues who contributed to this effort and thank the Ministry of National Defense and the Presidency of Defense Industries for paving the way for the development of national systems."
EDPOD is equipped with both narrowband and wideband receivers capable of detecting multiple threats simultaneously. It offers high receiver sensitivity and precise geolocation capabilities, thanks to advanced direction-finding technology.
Once a radar signal is detected, the system analyzes key parameters such as frequency, pulse width, amplitude, repetition interval, antenna scan patterns, and intra-pulse modulation.
This information is used to build an Electronic Order of Battle (EOB), a critical resource for planning electronic warfare operations.
EDPOD can record large volumes of raw signal data, including Pulse Descriptor Words (PDWs) and Intermediate Frequency (IF) data, for post-mission analysis. It also supports real-time transmission of threat data through Link-16 to ground units and other airborne EDPOD systems.
The EDPOD enhances situational awareness for F-16 crews and supports coordinated electronic warfare responses. Developed under TUBITAK BILGEM leadership, the system uses a real-time operating system (RTOS) also developed by TUBITAK.
According to the ministry, "The EDPOD represents a game-changing electronic warfare system, and its entry into service plays a critical role on the battlefield."
Alongside its induction, the EDPOD Mission Data File Preparation, Test, and Analysis Laboratory has also become operational, enabling real-time and post-mission threat data processing.
President of Defense Industries Haluk Gorgun also praised the development, calling EDPOD a symbol of Türkiye’s engineering strength and institutional cooperation.
"Every system equipped with national technologies adds strength not only to our inventory but also to our deterrence, independence, and future. EDPOD is a concrete indicator of the high engineering capacity we have achieved in the field of electronic warfare and our institutional collaboration," said Gorgun.
"I extend my thanks to our Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Industry and Technology, our Presidency’s personnel, and TÜBİTAK BİLGEM for their contributions to this strategic achievement that enhances the strength of our Air Force, and I wholeheartedly congratulate all the teams," he concluded.
EDPOD was first showcased at IDEF’19 and has since evolved into a strategic national asset. It now stands as a testament to Türkiye’s growing autonomy and sophistication in defense technologies.
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