Radio and tracking information with the aircraft, which took off from Balikesir at 12.56am (2156 GMT Tuesday), was lost soon after departure, the ministry said according to the official Anadolu Agency.

A search and rescue operation was launched and the wreckage was located.

“Our pilot was martyred. The cause of the accident will be determined following an investigation by the crash examination team,” the ministry said, offering condolences to the pilot’s family.

In November, Turkey suspended flights by its C-130 cargo planes after one crashed in neighbouring Georgia while returning from Azerbaijan, killing all 20 people aboard.

Other F-16s, manufactured by US firm Lockheed Martin, have crashed in recent months.

In January, a Taiwanese F-16 crashed into the sea during a routine mission. Its pilot, who ejected offshore, was reported missing.

In Poland, an F-16 crashed in August while rehearsing for an air show, killing its pilot.