Turkish defense minister says US may sell F-35s

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Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler on Nov. 26 stated that the U.S. may finally be willing to deliver the F-35 jets to Turkey, during his speech at the Planning and Budget Committee in the Turkish Parliament. 

“We already have six F-35s over there,” he said, referring to the planes Turkey had purchased but never received after its suspension from the program over purchase of the S-400 missile system from Russia.

“Now that they have seen our progress with KAAN, their stance seems to be shifting. They have been indicating that they might be willing to deliver them. We have officially resubmitted our offer to buy the F-35,” Güler told lawmakers.

KAAN is Turkey's fifth-generation fighter in development by the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ).

In response to a lawmaker’s question, "Will we be involved in the production phase again, or will we be purchasing them?" The Turkish Defense Minister replied, "We insist on having our production share reinstated, and we have also expressed our desire to acquire a total of 40 F-35s."

U.S. congress had urged the suspension of Turkey's F-35 procurement due to its purchase of the Russian S-400 system, fearing it could compromise the F-35's security. As a result, the U.S. removed Turkey from the F-35 program in July 2019.

Güler, speaking about the S-400s, stated that the locations where they would be used were already determined and necessary infrastructure was built. He also mentioned that the system could be fully operational within about 12 hours after the order is given. "As you know, this is an air defense system. It means that for us to use the S-400, there would need to be a very high-level threat, specifically an air attack," he said.

Güler also discussed ongoing talks with the U.S. regarding the F-16 modernization project. He stated that Turkey's efforts were aligned with the needs of the Air Force, aiming to diversify the inventory with advanced, modern fighter jets until the domestically produced HÜRJET and fifth-generation fighter KAAN enter service. 

He stated that Turkey has made an initial payment of $1.4 billion for the procurement of 40 F-16 Block 70 Viper aircraft. Güler also announced that they had decided to abandon the F-16 modernization project, initially planned to modernize 79 aircraft. He explained that the modernization work has been handed over to TUSAŞ, “as the facilities are now capable of carrying out the process.” 

Turkey will proceed with the purchase of 40 F-16 aircraft and specialized munitions, with the total cost expected to reach approximately $6.5-7 billion, according to the minister.

Güler stated that Turkey also expressed interest in purchasing the Eurofighter aircraft from Europe to “diversify its fleet.” 

Eurofighter is a European consortium comprising the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and France. While the U.K., Italy, and Spain had approved the purchase, Germany had been hesitant.

However, Güler stated that they have now received the necessary approvals from Germany, and work on the matter has been continuing.

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