WASHINGTON: The United States delivered Thursday its first shipment of F-35stealth fighter jets to Turkey, despite tensions with the country and USlawmakers’ opposition.
American defense giant Lockheed Martin officially transferred possession ofthe first plane, designed to evade even the most advanced radars, toTurkish officials during a ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas.
A second plane is due to be delivered in the coming days and the twoaircraft will be brought “at a later date” to Luke Air Force Base inArizona, where Turkish pilots and maintenance crews are receiving training,said Lieutenant Colonel Mike Andrews, a Pentagon spokesman.
US senators have opposed the delivery in light of Ankara’s plans topurchase Russian S-400 missile defense systems.
In a defense budget bill approved Tuesday, the Senate demanded that F-35sales be scrapped if Turkey goes ahead with the Russian purchase.
“Any effort by the government of the Republic of Turkey to further enhancetheir relationship with Russia will degrade the general security of theNATO alliance, and NATO member countries, and degrade interoperability ofthe alliance,” the text reads.
If both chambers of the US Congress approve that version of the bill,President Donald Trump’s administration will be obliged to exclude Turkeyfrom the F-35 program, remove from the aircraft all parts made in Turkeyand ban the Turkish F-35s from leaving US territory.
Turkey has been a partner in the international consortium that financed theF-35 since 2002.
A US defense official stressed that “after aircraft production, the USgovernment maintains custody of the aircraft until custody is transferredto the partner.”
“This normally occurs after the lengthy process of foreign partner trainingis complete (one-two years),” the official added.
Ties between the two NATO allies have been strained since Turkey launchedan offensive against Kurdish militia in northeastern Syria— the People’sProtection Units — that the US backs to fight Daesh but which Ankaraconsiders a terror group.
Launched in the early 1990s, the F-35 is considered the most expensiveweapons system in US history, with an estimated cost of some $400 billionand a goal to produce 2,500 aircraft in the coming years. – APP/AFP