Failed to get F-35 stealth fighter jets, Turkey wants to buy 40 US F-16 jets

ANKARA – Turkey has made a request to United States of America (US) to buy 40 units of Lockheed Martin’s F-16 fighter jets. The request was made after Ankara failed to obtain F-35 stealth fighter jets from Washington.

Dozens of new F-16 fighter jets are meant to modernize Turkey’s existing warplanes.

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The deal, which is worth billions of dollars, is still going through a Foreign Military Sale process that must be approved by the US State Department as well as the US Congress which can block it.

Several US government sources, as quoted Reuters, Friday (10/8/2021), spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the deal.

“As a matter of policy, the Department [Luar Negeri] do not confirm or comment on proposed defense sales or transfers until they are formally notified to Congress,” the State Department said in a statement.

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The Turkish Embassy in Washington declined to comment.

Ankara had ordered more than 100 F-35 stealth fighter jets, also made by Lockheed Martin Corp, but the order was removed from the program in 2019 after Ankara acquired Russia’s S-400 missile defense system.

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