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F-35
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says it was “unfair” to banish his country from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and has called for Ankara to be readmitted to the project.
In his first public comments on the potential readmittance into the program made to Bloomberg and published by the Turkish government’s Directorate of Communications on Jan. 5, Erdogan said he had “personally conveyed” his concerns to U.S. President Donald Trump.
“It is important and necessary for Turkey to receive F-35 aircraft and reinstitution in the program,” Erdogan said, noting that Ankara had already made payments for the aircraft.
Reentry would result in better ties with the U.S. and other NATO members and boost European defense, he said.
Erdogan’s comments come just weeks after U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said a new relationship between Erdogan and Trump had “created a new atmosphere of cooperation” that in turn had led to “fruitful conversions” about Ankara returning to the F-35 program. The previous Trump administration banished Turkey after Ankara decided to acquire an S-400 ground-based air defense system from Russia. Expulsion from the program impacted Turkish industry, which at the time was playing a key role in the production of the aircraft.
Turkey’s banishment resulted in the F-35’s sticker price increasing and prompted the Turkish Air Force to rethink its fighter plans. That spurred the service to acquire Eurofighter Typhoons and an attempt to purchase Block 70 model Lockheed Martin F-16s, as well as to accelerate the indigenous Kaan fighter project. To return to the F-35 program, Turkey must “no longer operate or possess” the S-400 system. Reports have suggested that Ankara has asked Moscow if it can be returned to Russia.
Turkey received the S-400 system in 2019 and performed a test firing a year later. Since then, the system has been positioned at the Akinci airfield near Ankara, but it is unclear if it is operational.
Concerning a potential purchase of the Block 70 F-16, Erdogan said he expected the conditions of the procurement to be in line with the spirit of the NATO alliance.
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