US offers F-16 Fighter Jets, President Erdogan Says Turkey Paid 1.4 billion US dollars For F-35

Presiden Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru/Пресс-служба Президента Российской Федерации)

JAKARTA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday the United States had offered Turkey the sale of F-16 fighter jets in return for its investment in the F-35 program, after Ankara was kicked out of the program for buying Russian missile defense systems.

Reuters reported earlier this month that Turkey made a request to the United States to buy 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighter jets and nearly 80 modernization kits for existing fighters.

Speaking to reporters before leaving for a trip to West Africa, President Erdogan said Turkey wants a return on its investment in the F-35 program, and talks on this issue are ongoing.

"There is a $1.4 billion payment that we have made for the F-35 and the US has such a proposal in return for this payment," President Erdogan said, cited from Reuters, October 17.

"And regarding this we said, let's take whatever steps need to be taken to meet our country's defense needs," he said, adding new F-16 fighter jets to help develop its fleet.

Ankara has ordered more than 100 F-35 jets, made by Lockheed Martin Corp, but the United States removed Turkey from the program in 2019 after it acquired Russia's S-400 missile defense system.

The decades-old partnership between NATO allies has seen unprecedented turmoil in the past five years due to disagreements over Syria policy, Ankara's closer ties to Moscow, its naval ambitions in the eastern Mediterranean, US accusations against Turkey's state-owned bank, and erosion of rights and freedoms in Turkey.

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

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

The request for the jet is likely to have difficulty in getting approval from the United States Congress, where sentiment towards Turkey has deteriorated over the past few years.

In addition, there is bipartisan support in the US Congress to push the administration of President Joe Biden to put further pressure on Ankara, particularly over its Russian arms purchases and human rights track record.

Meanwhile, Ankara hopes that Turkey-US relations will improve under President Biden's leadership.