Can Turkey, a US ally and NATO member, finally be trusted with America’s premier fighter jet?
President Donald Trump has suggested that he may be willing to lift the ban on sales of American F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey, a US ally and NATO member. The ban was imposed due to Turkey's acquisition of Russia's S-400 air defense system, which is incompatible with NATO systems and could compromise the F-35's radar-evading technology. The potential sale of F-35s to Turkey has sparked concerns among lawmakers, who argue that it could put American security at risk.
- ▪Turkey was previously a partner in the F-35 program but was removed due to its acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system.
- ▪The S-400 system is not compatible with NATO systems and could compromise the F-35's highly classified radar-evading technology.
- ▪Congress codified the ban on F-35 sales to Turkey in 2020, unless and until Turkey gets rid of its S-400s and commits to not buying Russian systems in the future.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
President Donald Trump made a lot of waves at this year’s NATO summit in Ankara. And one of the biggest was when Trump suggested he might be willing to lift the six-year-old ban on sales of American F-35 stealth fighter jets to the meeting’s host country, Turkey. Recommended Stories Two US service members killed in Jordan after breakdown of Iran ceasefire US strikes Iran for seventh night in a row Kelly Loeffler defends defense contractor cyber deregulation amid AI risks Turkey used to be a partner in building the F-35 as a member of an international consortium designed to ensure healthy sales of the Lockheed Martin planes to worthy allies.AdvertisementThat was before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan decided to acquire Russia’s most advanced air defense system, the S-400, which is…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Washington Examiner.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from Washington Examiner
