Biden’s nominee pledges to ‘eliminate’ Turkey from F-35 program

President Joe Biden’s Air Force secretary nominee pledged to halt the manufacturing of F-35 components in Turkey, which continues to be one of the stumbling blocks in bilateral ties between the two countries.

 

“Under the current situation with Turkey, I think we should not be making F-35 parts in Turkey,” Frank Kendall told the Senate Committee on Armed Services Tuesday.  The removal of Turkey from the new generation jet fighter program could cost her defense industry $9 bn over the duration of the production cycle.

 

In response to a question about if he would do everything to ensure that the manufacturing of the aforementioned components was halted in a timely manner, Kendall said, “Yes, I will.”

 

Last year, U.S. defense officials had said Turkey would continue manufacturing components for F-35 fighter jets through 2022.

 

 

WATCH:  Turkey and US: Final Countdown | Real Turkey

 

Washington removed Turkey from the F-35 Lightning II jet program in 2019, arguing that S-400 air missile systems acquired by Turkey could be used by Russia to covertly obtain classified details on the Lockheed Martin F-35 jets and is incompatible with NATO systems. Turkey, however, insists that the S-400 would not be integrated into NATO systems and would not pose a threat to the alliance.

 

The F-35 is an international program, with the aircraft itself being produced by multiple countries, including Turkey.

 

Despite Turkey’s assertions that the S-400 would not be integrated into NATO systems, the U.S. has insisted that the Russian system is not compatible with weapons serving as part of NATO’s air-and-missile defense system.

 

A U.S. congressional watchdog warned in May 2020 that the U.S. decision to expel Turkey from the F-35 program is likely to compound its already beleaguered supply chain issues from a production increase. The $398 billion F-35 program has faced many problems since then, including engine shortages.

 

A report revealed that the Air Combat Command (ACC) had to cut eight air shows with the F-35 jet from their lineup in 2021 in order to save enough engines to use for deployments and training.

 

 

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Published By: Atilla Yeşilada

GlobalSource Partners’ Turkey Country Analyst Atilla Yesilada is the country’s leading political analyst and commentator. He is known throughout the finance and political science world for his thorough and outspoken coverage of Turkey’s political and financial developments. In addition to his extensive writing schedule, he is often called upon to provide his political expertise on major radio and television channels. Based in Istanbul, Atilla is co-founder of the information platform Istanbul Analytics and is one of GlobalSource’s local partners in Turkey. In addition to his consulting work and speaking engagements throughout the US, Europe and the Middle East, he writes regular columns for Turkey’s leading financial websites VATAN and www.paraanaliz.com and has contributed to the financial daily Referans and the liberal daily Radikal.