Will Turkey return to the F-35 program at the NATO Summit?

Turkey is preparing to use the NATO Summit, which will convene in Ankara in July, as an important opportunity to resolve existing problems in the defense sector with the US. Among Turkey's primary expectations are re-participation in the F-35 fighter jet program, from which it was removed in 2020, and the easing or lifting of CAATSA sanctions imposed due to the S-400 air defense systems.

In the period leading up to the summit, talks were held between Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. Furthermore, it is known that the US Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, has established contact with both Foreign Minister Fidan and Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler. Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack has made promising statements suggesting that the S-400 issue could be resolved in the near future.

The Washington administration stipulates that for Turkey to be part of the F-35 program again, the active use of the S-400 systems procured from Russia must be ended, or even that they must be completely removed from the country. In this direction, it is claimed that the S-400s are being kept in storage and that moving them to other regions as an alternative is also in the evaluation stage.

Turkey was among the partner producer and supplier countries of the F-35 project, to which it contributed approximately 1.4 billion dollars. Turkish defense industry companies played an active role in the production of important parts of the fighter jet, but serious problems were experienced in the process once the procurement of S-400 systems began. The S-400 purchase, initiated in 2017, created a major crisis between the two countries, leading to the suspension of the Turkish side's participation in the program and the halting of the delivery of the six F-35 aircraft that had been produced.

Not only fighter jet procurement but also strategic steps aimed at redefining Turkey-US relations in a general sense will be on the table during the talks. If Ankara cannot become active in the F-35 program again, it continues to negotiate the F-16 Block 70 procurement process with the US as an alternative.

News Source: 12punto