With the US-Turkey F-35 Jet deal heading towards a possible collapse, Turkey is considering alternatives such as the Russian Su-57, Chinese J-31 or even accelerating the development of its own fighter jet.
The US has stopped supply of parts to Turkish firms involved in the F-35 supply chain besides suspending pilot training for F-35s ‘delivered to Ankara’ but still based in the United States. The deal cancellation could follow if Turkey does not heed a July 31 deadline to cancel the S-400 air defence systems deal with Russia.
The thinking in Turkish security bureaucracy is that even if Ankara aborts the S-400 deal, the country will always be dependent upon the US for parts supply, maintenance, system upgrades, track changes in critical processes. “The jets will effectively be controlled by the US affecting Turkey’s ability to operate them independently,” Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak quoted unnamed sources as saying.
The US could sanction Turkey or halt the F-35 deal for any other political or military action of Ankara that Washington does not approve of, the security apparatus sources said.
The Russian and Chinese jets are far cheaper than the F-35 for which Ankara has already paid $1 Billion. It is not known if Turkey has any plans to seek a refund of its advance paid for the F-35s.
The security bureaucracy feels that even though the F-35 stands out for its stealth features, advanced weapons and networking features, that the operation of the jets will always be controlled by the US government is a big negative to Ankara.
While Russia has offered to make available its Su-57 to Turkey, the Chinese position is not known. Official media in China had previously reported that the J-31 would not be exported.
Turkey’s opinion of the F-35 mirrors that of some other states in Europe, namely France and Germany which have announced plans to develop their own fifth generation jets to bypass American export control regulations and control over key technologies.
The letter sent by US Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan on the Russian S-400 missile defense system is "not in spirit of the alliance,” Hulusi Akar, Defense Minister of Turkey said Wednesday. Shanahan, in a letter to Hulusi Akar dated June 6, stated that the Pentagon has suspended training of new F-35 Turkish pilots
The United States is Turkey's biggest defence equipment importer with export figures souring to $353 million during the first five months of 2019, according to data from the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM). Ankara's aviation and defense industry export revenue stood at $1 billion, up by 37 percent from last year's $784 million during the same period, reported Anadolu Agency citing TİM data
The United States has threatened imposing Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) against Turkey if it goes ahead with the Russian S-400 Air Defence Systems deal, the State Department warned on Wednesday. This is the first instance of the US intending to invoke CAATSA against a country for buying Russian equipment since the act came into force in 2018
One of the rarest fighter aircraft ever to leave the drawing boards, the Russian Su-47 ‘Berkut, also called C-37 was on display at last weeks MAKS airshow in Zkukovsky near Moscow. A dramatic upgrade in technology compared to the Mig-29 and the Su-27, the Su-47 was a leap to the fifth generation
Russian President Vladimir Putin showed Turkish President Erdogan the cockpit of the Su-57 stealth fighter jet setting off speculation that Ankara was looking at an alternative to the F-35 should the United States completely cut off Turkey from the program. After both presidents addressed a gathering at the MAKS-2019 show in Zhukovsky near Moscow , Putin invited Erdogan to see Russias newest fighter jet whose export version, the Su-57E officially made its public debut today
An air-to-surface cruise missile developed for the F-35 fighter jet could be used with Turkey's national combat aircraft and attack UAVs, besides offered to countries which are part of the F-35 program. Turkeys industry and technology minister, Mustafa Varank said on Saturday that the SOM-J cruise missile jointly developed by the US and Turkey, will be deployed on local air assets following Ankaras ouster from the F-35 program
After Completing 100,000 combat hours in Northern Iraq and Syria, Turkeys ‘Bayratkar TB2 armed UAV is planning to target new export markets in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. “I believe we will eventually see TB2 complete one-million-hour flight and our work will evolve towards space flight
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) uncovered the full-size mock-up of its TF-X jet at the Paris Air Show 2019 today at a time when it is facing possible expulsion from the F-35 program over the S-400 row with the United States. The aircraft mock-up looks inspired by the F-35 and has several design cues to suggest so
The S-400 air defense system could give Turkey control over the airspace of a part of the Mediterranean and Syria, which is a territory where the United States and Israel routinely conduct aerial operations. The reason why the US is vehemently opposed to Turkey acquiring the S-400 is because Washington and Israel may have to keep Ankara informed before launching an air-raid
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