Turkey demands its investment in F-35 be paid back by the US
After failing to secure F-35 fighter jets, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says Turkey wants back its $1.4 billion investment in the F-35 multirole fighter program.
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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu holds a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey, November 3, 2022. (Reuters)
Ankara demanded refunds for the $1.4 billion it paid for F-35 jets after being excluded from the US F-35 multirole fighter program in April 2021, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated on Saturday.
"We want our money now. We want the money we paid there to be returned. Our friends from the ministry came together and reviewed the steps we will take from now on. We are now taking care of ourselves," Cavusoglu told CNN Turk, adding that his government does not want the situation to transform "into a snake story like with the Patriot defense system."
Even after being excluded from the deal two years ago, the Turkish government was hopeful of reaching a deal with the US in January 2022, after Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters that "six F-35s for Turkey are in a hangar. We are discussing what will happen to them," a deal which has since then not seen the light of day.
In October 2021, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Washington invited Ankara to buy F-16 fighter jets in return for its $1.4 billion investment in the F-35 program.
Turkey was kicked out of the F-35 program in April 2021 after purchasing Russia's S-400 air defense systems. Later that year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Washington had given Ankara F-16 planes, which were one generation behind the F-35s. However, the agreement must be approved by the US Congress, and many congressmen are highly opposed to the effort.
According to Turkish media, in 2019, Turkey received the first regiment of Russia's S-400 air defense missile systems. Moscow said in August 2022 that the shipment of the second regiment of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems was also started. However, the delivery was postponed in March 2023 owing to Ankara's disagreement with a clause limiting the equipment's sale to third nations.
This puts Turkey in a precarious position, as clearly, it was unable to secure the state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets while dealing with another blow after Ankara failed to pressure Russia into limiting S-400 sales around Turkey's borders.
