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Sources told Bloomberg News that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hopes to buy dozens of American warplanes.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hopes to use the upcoming global summit to lobby US President Joe Biden (Joe Biden) to allow Ankara to purchase dozens of US warplanes to overcome Washington’s Boycott of major arms deals with the country after the purchase of the Russian air defense system.
Two Turkish officials familiar with the matter stated that Turkey issued a formal request to the United States on September 30 to purchase 40 new F-16 Block 70 aircraft and nearly 80 sets of kits from Lockheed Martin in order to control its existing The F-16 fighter jet was modernized. They stated that the deal may be worth 6 billion U.S. dollars, but given the opposition to the purchase of Russian S-400 missiles by Congress and Turkey’s own uncompromising stance, it is difficult to obtain approval.
Turkish officials said that Erdogan is expected to meet with Biden during the G20 summit in Rome at the end of this month, but the meeting has not been announced. It is not clear whether Biden is willing to accept the weapons request. They said that Turkey’s goal is to secure jets compatible with NATO and discuss strategic issues on the condition of anonymity.
A State Department spokesperson, who asked not to be named, said the department does not comment on the proposed defense sales. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the National Security Council referred the issue to the State Department.
So far, the Turkish president has not stated that any progress has been made in resolving the conflict with the United States. This is concerned that the S-400 may be used to collect intelligence on the stealth capabilities of American F-35 fighter jets. The Turkish company has helped to build this intelligence and Ankara. It is planned to buy before the Russian missile cracks.
Washington asked Ankara to cancel the S-400 in exchange for the United States to lift relevant sanctions, but Turkey did not show any tendency. The sanctions cut off the links between Turkey’s top defense procurement agency and US financial institutions, military hardware and technology. New export licenses to transfer U.S. goods or technology to the agency have been banned.
Aaron Stein, director of the Middle East Program at the Washington Institute for Foreign Policy Research, said: “Congress has stated that we will not sign a major weapons agreement with Turkey until the S-400 issue is resolved.” In a recent podcast. “This letter or request submitted by the Turks is facing a very difficult task to obtain approval to export F-16s to Turkey.”
🎧 @aaronstein1 Join our podcast discussion #TurkeyThe latest request to the United States to purchase 40 F-16 jets and nearly 80 modern kits for its existing fighters, and explains why it can become the end of the legendary Ankara from S-400 to F-35 to CAATSA : https://t.co/cjuzajs4I0 pic.twitter.com/F1c8GVCD7I
-Greek Trend (@GreekCurrent) October 8, 2021
Ankara has been arguing with Washington over the right to use its Patriot missile system for many years, and Washington is hesitant to request the transfer of technology from Turkey.
Turkish aviation expert Arda Mevlutoglu said that Turkey has overdue its retirement of its F-4 jets and is planning to upgrade its F-16 fleet as a stopgap measure for its fighter capabilities because it is eager to develop its own jets.
“If Turkey can get the US approval to sell the new F-16 Block 70 aircraft and upgrade kit, it will be a huge relief for the Air Force,” Mevlutoglu said on Monday. “These aircraft may achieve this capability before the 2030s, giving Turkey two crucial ten years to try to develop its own fighter jets.”
– With the assistance of Justin Sink.
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