According to the Defense Ministry, the US government supports the modernization of the fleet of F-16 fighter jets aimed at by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Such a step would be “a contribution to the security of NATO and thus to the security of the USA,” said Secretary of State for International Security Affairs at the US Department of Defense, Celeste Wallander, on Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Madrid. “Therefore, the US Department of Defense fully supports Turkey’s plans to modernize its F-16 fleet.” The plans are in the works. You would still have to go through contract processes.
Erdogan had previously accused the US of “delaying tactics”. Before leaving for the NATO summit, he said in Ankara on Tuesday that the modernization of the American-made F-16 fleet is currently the most important topic being discussed between Ankara and Washington.
On Tuesday evening, Erdogan gave up the blockade on the admission of Finland and Sweden to NATO, with which Turkey had drawn the displeasure of the USA and other allies. After the agreement, it was officially said that Turkey had been accommodated in arms exports and in the fight against terrorism.
Biden met Erdogan on Wednesday evening on the sidelines of the NATO summit. The US President thanked his Turkish counterpart for abandoning the blockade and for his commitment to getting wheat from Ukraine.
There have long been discussions about the sale of US fighter jets to Turkey: the NATO country was actually part of a program to develop the US fighter jet F-35 and should also purchase it. However, after the government in Ankara acquired the Russian S-400 missile defense system in 2017, the US government excluded Turkey from the F-35 program.
There were fears in Washington that Russia could use the S-400 weapons system’s sensitive radar to obtain data on the F-35’s stealth capabilities.
At the end of last year, Erdogan announced that the United States had offered Turkey F-16 jets instead of F-35s. According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, Ankara has requested 40 new F-16s and 79 upgrade kits for the F-16 jets already in service. In Washington, however, a possible deal has so far been politically controversial.
The breakthrough came on Tuesday shortly before the start of the summit when Stoltenberg met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinistö. In a joint statement, the two Nordic countries pledged to address several of Turkey’s demands.
Among others, Sweden and Finland pledged that there would be no arms embargoes against Turkey. They also promised decisive action against terrorism and the PKK. Turkish extradition requests by terrorist suspects should also be examined quickly.
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