Failed To Buy F-35 Fighter Jets From The US Because Of Russian S-400 Missiles, Turkey Wants To Buy 40 F-16 Fighter Jets

Ilustrasi jet tempur F-16. (Wikimedia Commons/Staff Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby)

JAKARTA - Turkey has submitted a request to the United States to buy 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighter jets, as well as nearly 80 modernization kits for existing fighters, as the NATO ally wants to modernize its air force, after failing to buy F-35 fighter jets. , said a source familiar with the matter.

The deal, 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 could block the deal. The source spoke on condition of anonymity.

"As a matter of policy, the Department does not confirm or comment on proposed defense sales or transfers until they are formally notified to Congress," a State Department spokeswoman said. The Turkish Embassy in Washington declined to comment.

Previously, Ankara had ordered more than 100 F-35 fighter jets, also made by Lockheed Martin, but removed from the program in 2019 after acquiring the Russian S-400 missile defense system.

The decades-old partnership between the two NATO allies has seen unprecedented turmoil in the past five years, from disagreements over Syria policy, Ankara's closer ties to Russia, its naval ambitions in the eastern Mediterranean, to rights and freedoms in Turkey.

The request for the F-16 fighter jet is likely to have difficulty getting approval from the US Congress, where sentiment towards Turkey has deteriorated over the past few years, mainly because of Ankara's purchase of the S-400 and its troubled human rights track record.

Ankara's purchase of the S-400 also triggered US sanctions. In December 2020, Washington blacklisted the Turkish Defense Industry Directorate, including its head Ismail Demir and three other employees.

Since then, the US has repeatedly warned Turkey against buying further Russian weapons. But last week, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan indicated Ankara still intends to buy a second batch of S-400s from Russia, a move that could deepen rifts with Washington.

There is bipartisan support in the United States Congress to push President Joe Biden's administration to put further pressure on Ankara, particularly over Russia's arms purchases and its human rights track record.

Meanwhile, Ankara said it hoped for better relations under President Joe Biden. To note, the Turkish request report was first reported by the Greek defense outlet Defense Review.