US Ambassador confirms completion of F-16 fighter jet sale to Turkey

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
11 Feb 2024 18:41

The deal went through as the US Congress did not raise any objections within the 15-day deadline.

An early morning pedestrian is silhouetted against sunrise as he walks through the U.S. Flags on the National Mall and past the US Capitol Building in Washington Monday, Nov. 7, 2022 (AP Photo)

US Ambassador to Ankara Jeffry Flake on Sunday announced that the sale of 40 new and 79 upgraded F-16 fighter jets to Turkey has been completed.

The diplomat noted that the deal went through as the US Congress did not raise any objections within the 15-day deadline.

On January 26, the Biden administration gave the green light for the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara, following Turkey's endorsement of Sweden's NATO bid. Once the US Department of State formally notified Congress, lawmakers had a 15-day window to raise any objections to the sale.

"Congress's decision this week to approve Turkey's acquisition of 40 new and 79 upgraded F-16 aircraft is a great step forward. Turkey's F-16 fleet is critical to NATO's strength, ensuring future interoperability among Allies," the ambassador was quoted as saying by the US embassy in Turkey.

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, which Turkey ratified last month. 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.

On January 31, Congress issued an ultimatum for Turkey to abandon Russia's S-400 missile defense system in order to rejoin the F-35 fighter aircraft program.

It's important to note that last month, as the US approved a $23 billion deal to sell F-16 warplanes to Turkey, the US approved an $8.6 billion F-35 sale deal to Greece, State Department announced.

"Today is an important day for our national defense and Greek diplomacy. Greece is officially on track to acquire up to 40 new generation F-35 combat planes," Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on January 27.

Mitsotakis also shared a letter sent to him from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, showing the extent of cooperation between their respective countries. In the letter, Blinken saluted Greece's initiatives to modernize its military capabilities and expressed hopes of strengthening military relations between both countries' armed forces.

The package deal also includes a reportedly "very large quantity of equipment" allocated to strengthen Greek armed forces' factions, including the coastguard service.

Frigates, C-130 cargo planes, tanks, armored vehicles, and more are included in the package.