Turkey asks US to buy 40 F-16 jets to upgrade air force
October 8, 2021, 4:53 am

Turkey asks US to buy 40 F-16 jets to upgrade air force

Fighter jet-Las Vegas/Pixabay

The Straits Times reported according to Reuters, Turkey has made a request to the United States to buy 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighter jets and nearly 80 modernisation kits for its existing warplanes, as the Nato ally looks to modernise its air force after the purchase of F-35 jets fell through.

The deal, worth billions, is still working its way through the Foreign Military Sales process which is subject to approval by the US State Department as well as the US Congress which can block deals.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the deal.

"As a matter of policy, the department does not confirm or comment on proposed defence sales or transfers until they have been formally notified to Congress," a spokesman for the State Department said. The Turkish Embassy in Washington declined to comment.

Ankara had ordered more than 100 F-35 jets, also made by Lockheed Martin, but was removed from the programme in 2019 after it acquired Russian S-400 missile defence systems.

The decades-old partnership between the Nato allies has gone through unprecedented tumult in the past five years over disagreements on Syria policy, Ankara's closer ties with Moscow, its naval ambitions in the eastern Mediterranean, US charges against a state-owned Turkish bank, and erosion of rights and freedoms in Turkey.

The request for the jets will likely have a difficult time getting approval from the US Congress, where sentiment towards Turkey has soured deeply over recent years, primarily due to Ankara's purchase of the S-400s and its problematic human rights track record.

Ankara's purchase of the S-400s has also triggered US sanctions. In December 2020, Washington blacklisted Turkey's Defence Industry Directorate, its chief, Mr Ismail Demir, and three other employees.

Since then, the US has repeatedly warned Turkey against buying further Russian weaponry. But last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated that Ankara still intended to buy a second batch of S-400s from Russia, a move that could deepen a rift with Washington.

There is bipartisan support in US Congress to push the Biden administration to put further pressure on Ankara, primarily over its purchase of Russian weapons and its human rights track record.

Ankara has said it hopes for better ties under US President Joe Biden.

Reports of the Turkish request were first reported by Greek defence outlet Defence Review.

Source: straitstimes

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.