Will Stealth Fighters be Supplied to Turkish Armed Forces?

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

The Turkish Armed Forces, which are a part of the U.S. Department of Defense’s JSF program, along with a number of prominent NATO allies including the United Kingdom, Italy and the Netherlands, have been planning to upgrade their air force fleets with 100 F-35 aircrafts to be jointly produced under this program, as reported by hurriyetdailynews.com.

The Turkish Armed Forces will take delivery of the first of 30 US-built F-35 stealth multi-role fighters on June 21 in a ceremony that will be held in the U.S.

However, under a bill introduced in the US Congress, the sale of the F-35 fighter jet to Turkey could be blocked unless the White House certifies the sale is not a national security risk, according to defensenews.com.

Pilots from the Turkish Armed Forces will receive intense training at the headquarters of the main producer of the F-35, Lockheed Martin, before the fighters will be transported to Turkey later this year. Sources have also informed that arrangements are underway on military bases in Turkey where the F-35s will be deployed.

According to defenseworld.net, Turkey’s current air defense is based on strong F-16 fleets. It plans to upgrade its air force fleets with 100 F-35 aircrafts to be jointly produced under this program.