Turkey, US sign $23 billion F-16 fighter jet deal
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The United States and Turkey finalize a deal that will see the latter receiving 40 F-16 fighter jets from Washington after a years-long delay.
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A Turkish Air Force F-16 military fighter jet flies at the end of an Air Policing exercise above eastern Romania, March 6, 2024. (AP)
Turkey and the United States have finalized a $23 billion agreement for the sale of F-16 warplanes, which was signed after months of negotiations. Turkey, under the agreement, will be receiving 40 new F-16s and upgrades to 79 jets in its existing fleet, sources from the Turkish Defense Ministry said Thursday.
"The contract was signed and delegations from both sides are negotiating the details," the sources said, as reported by Reuters.
The US State Department has hailed this agreement as "a major step forward" in Turkey's acquisition of advanced fighter jets.
In a social media post, the department highlighted the significance of the sale, noting that these F-16s are "the most advanced F-16 ever made available only to closest Allies and partners," stressing it was a testament to the security partnership between the United States and Turkey.
As part of the legal process, the State Department notified Congress of the agreement back in January, along with a separate $8.6 billion sale of 40 F-35 fighter jets to Greece. However, the F-16 deal was not approved until Turkey's ratification of Sweden's NATO membership was received in Washington.
Turkey's parliament ratified Sweden's membership in January, after over a year of delays over numerous contentious issues between Ankara and Stockholm
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to attend the upcoming NATO summit in Washington next month. He was set to meet with US President Joe Biden last month for what would have been their first meeting at the White House, but the talks were postponed due to conflicts in their respective schedules.
In April 2021, the US expelled Turkey from the F-35 program because it acquired Russia's S-400 air defense systems. Later that year, Erdogan mentioned that the US proposed Turkey purchase F-16 jets, which are one generation behind the F-35s. However, this deal required approval from the US Congress and faced strong opposition from many lawmakers.
The objection was primarily linked to Turkey's stance on Sweden's NATO bid. In July 2022, the US House of Representatives passed a defense budget amendment, preventing the sale of F-16s to Turkey as long as it continues violating Greece's airspace.
