Big setback for US as Turkey cancels F-16 Upgrade Deal, President Recep Tayyip says…
Turkish officials have stated that the country has scaled down its planned USD 23 billion acquisition of F-16 fighter jets from the US.
Ankara: With Donald Trump set to make a comeback as the President of the United States, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has taken a first-rate decision. The Turkish PM has reportedly cancelled a significant section of the F-sixteen contend with the United States. Reports suggest that Erdoğan had again and again lobbied for this contend with the United States for a couple of years.
Turkish officials have stated that the U.S. has scaled down its planned USD 23 billion acquisition of F-sixteen fighter jets from the United States. As section of the agreement, the purchase of Seventy nine modernization kits for the present F-sixteen fleet has been canceled.
Turkey’s Defense Minister Confirms
Turkey’s Defense Minister Yaşar Güler confirmed this decision late Tuesday night. All through a parliamentary hearing, Güler stated, “An initial payment has been made for the purchase of F-sixteen Block-70. A total of USD 1.four billion has been paid. With this, we are in a position to purchase Forty F-sixteen Block-70 Vipers, and we were planning to purchase Seventy nine modernization kits.” NATO member Turkey secured this deal earlier this year with the United States after a chronic process to purchase Forty F-sixteen fighter jets and Seventy nine modernization kits for its existing F-sixteen fleet.
Güler stated, “We've put aside this Seventy nine. The explanation we set it aside is that our Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) facilities are in a position to finishing up this modernization on their own, so we deferred it.” Güler further mentioned that the purchase of Forty new Lockheed Martin F-sixteen jets and their ammunition would cost Turkey approximately $7 billion.
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