The United States has agreed to hold negotiations on the F-35 fighter jet deal with its Turkish counterparts in late January or early February, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Sunday. The meeting comes after Akar informed earlier this month that preparations were underway to resolve issues with the deal.
“With regard to the F-35s, we asked (the United States), we paid so much, how are we going to proceed with the compensation? The American side said that they understood. “agreement at the end of January-beginning of February. Our delegation will go to the United States. Six F-35s for Turkey are in a hangar. We are discussing what will happen to them,” Akar was quoted as saying by Turkish newspaper Milliyet.
It is pertinent to mention that Turkey had placed an order for more than 100 F-35 “stealth fighters” from the United States in early 2019. However, later the same year, the United States expelled Ankara from the agreement when the latter purchased S-400 missiles. of Russia, despite a continuous warning from Washington. By then, Turkey had already started manufacturing parts for F-35 production. Washington argued that the F-35s could not co-exist with the intelligence-gathering platform because they could pose a threat to fighters used by US defense, creating a major obstacle for Turkey to strike a deal with. Washington. In January, Akar defended the U.S. decision, saying Turkey’s withdrawal from the program “was a necessity, not a choice.”
Turkey then hired a law firm, Arnold and Porter, to lobby for its reinstatement in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program and obtain “strategic advice and outreach”. In October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan informed that Washington had invited Turkey to buy F-16 jets in exchange for investments in the F-35 JSF. To this, President Tayyip had retorted by saying that Anka would seek compensation for its termination of the program. However, last January the United States agreed to resolve the impasse over the F-35 deal after sitting for negotiations in early 2022, Akar had said. Notably, Ankara made payments worth $1.4 billion to Washington before being kicked out of the JSF deal.
The “most powerful” F-35 stealth jets
Lockheed Martin F-35 jets are multi-role stealth fighters with excellent superiority in air strike missions. This is a machine from the American Lighting II family of single-seater, single-engine with credible performance in all weathers. It mainly has three variants, the F-35A conventional take-off and landing variant, the F-35B vertical take-off/landing variant and the F-35C carrier variant, Lockheed Martin mentions on its website. It is the world’s “most advanced” combat aircraft that enhances national security, enhances global partnerships and fuels economic growth. The “deadly and survivable” fighter jet gives military forces access to advanced avionics.
