Turkey reportedly sent a letter to the US government requesting authorization for the purchase of 40 new F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters and 80 upgrade kits for the jets already in its fleet, anonymous sources said. Reuters.
According to the agency, The deal, worth billions, is still going through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process, which is subject to approval by the US Department of State as well as the US Congress, which may eventually block deals.
Responding to Reuters, a US State Department spokesperson said that “As a matter of policy, the Department does not confirm or comment on proposed sales or defense transfers until they have been formally notified to Congress.” The Turkish embassy in Washington declined to comment.
Ankara and Washington have been experiencing serious friction in recent years due to Turkish rapprochement with Russia. Turkey, a US partner and NATO member for decades, was kicked out of the F-35 Program after going ahead with acquiring Russian S-400 long-range air defense systems. According to the Americans, the integration of the F-35 with the S-400 could compromise important information about the 5th generation aircraft.
The US has repeatedly warned Turkey against buying more Russian weapons. However, last week, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan indicated that his government still intended to buy a second batch of S-400s from Russia, a move that could further strain relations with Washington. Moscow has also offered technology transfer so that the Turks can develop their own 5th Generation fighter, the TF-X.
There is bipartisan in the US Congress to push the Biden istration to put more pressure on Ankara, particularly because of its purchase of Russian weapons and its human rights record. Ankara has said it hopes for better ties with the US president.
The Turkish Air Force (TuAF) is the second largest operator of the F-16 in the world, after the US Air Force itself. The TuAF has 245 F-16C/D fighters in operation, while the USAF has 953. The Israeli Air Force, which “occupies third place”, has 224 fighters.
