ANKARA – Turkey has committed to buying100 of the expensivefifth-generation F – 35 aircraft from US.
So far, though, Ankara has allocated funds for only 30 F-35s. The Turkisharmed forces are expecting to take delivery of their first F-35 jointstrike fighters before the end of 2018, according to Turkish daily YeniSafak.
Turkish firms Alp Aviation, Aselsan, Ayesas, Fokker Elmo, Havelsan, KaleAerospace, MiKES, Tubitak-SAGE and Turkish Aerospace Industries standto rake in about $12 billion in profit from their participation in the F-35program, according to Lockheed Martin’s website.
But that’s only if Greece and Armenia don’t get in their way. Greek andArmenian lobbies launched a campaign petitioning the US Senate to block thesale of F-35s to Ankara in February.
According to Endy Zemenides, executive director of the Hellenic AmericanLeadership Council, “There will be very strong opposition in Congress —which already acted against small arms sales to Turkish security forces —and in which measures challenging the F-35 transfer have been circulated,”the lobbyist said February 20, noting that Turkey’s opponents in Washingtonare “growing in numbers” while “congressmen willing to defend Turkey arein pretty short supply nowadays.”
Following an incident in which security forces travelling with TurkishPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to the US capital and beat peaceful USand Kurdish protesters as well as police officers in Northwest Washington,a House lawmaker sought to block the proposed sale of F-35s to Ankara, theHill reported.