'We're talking': Erdogan says US approached Turkey to sell F-16s to replace existing fleet

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said that the United States has offered to sell Ankara F-16 fighter jets in return for the investment in Washington’s F-35 program. Turkey has been looking to modernize its fleet with Lockheed Martin-made Viper class F-16 fighter jets over its existing F-35 warplanes. Ankara had, earlier last month, dispatched a letter of request on 40 F-16s and 80 modernization kits to Washington after its F-35 program was stalled over the Russian missile defense system S-400s. US had hit Turkey with CAATSA sanctions following this S-400 purchase, and Turkey’s relations with  NATO partners had also suffered. A Turkish presidential spokesperson, this week, told a presser that Ankara is now looking to add more F-16s to its air fleet after being kicked out of the joint strike fighter program.

“We are talking $1.4 billion spent on F-35s. As a return for this investment, the US approached us with this offer. We told them we will do everything to meet our country’s defense needs,” Erdogan told country’s reporters on Sunday ahead of departing for a trip to Africa, addign that Turkey wants a return for its investment in the F-35 programme and that talks on the issue are ongoing. 

“There is the payment of $1.4bn we have made for the F-35s and the US had such a proposal in return for these payments,” Erdogan told state press reporters. "Let’s take whatever steps are needed to be taken to meet the defence needs of our country," he added. 

[Credit: Twitter/ @JASDF_EAGLE]

US scrapping of F-35 deal 'completely illegal and unfair,' says Turkey 

United States had blocked the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets sales program to Turkey in 2019, alleging that Turkey might leak classified info to Moscow. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalyn has now said at a state presser that Ankara would be acquiring F-16 jets to expand its fleet and upgrading it as an alternative to acquiring the F-35s. Turkey also slammed the US for scrapping the F-35 program as “completely illegal and unfair,” adding that Ankara had spent $1.4 billion on the arrangement. However, the deal to acquire the F-16 will need approval from the US State Department and Congress. 

[Military vehicles and equipment, parts of the S-400 air defense systems, are unloaded from a Russian transport aircraft, at Murted military airport in Ankara, Turkey. Credit: AP]

Following the US’ CAATSA sanctions over the  S-400 purchase, Turkey launched several of its own aerospace projects including the TF-X developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries and the British arms company BAE Systems. A Turkish official also told reporters that the administration of US President Joe Biden “had no issues with the request to update the F-16s”. He, however, added that the US Congress “is another matter.” 

“As a matter of policy, the Department does not confirm or comment on proposed defense sales or transfers until they have been formally notified to Congress”, a spokesperson for the US State Department was reported saying. 

“Our first choice is to buy the F-35, and this is our right. If the crisis with the United States is overcome, Turkey will re-enter the program and we will receive our F-35s,” Kalyn said in an interview with Milliyet newspaper.

Furthermore, he added, “ If the problem is not solved, we will continue to search for alternatives. The expansion of the existing fleet of F-16s and their modernization can be considered an alternative. Depending on the conditions, a final decision will be made based on our needs.”