Pentagon Delivering Two More F-35s Used to Train Turkish Pilots
Pentagon Delivering Two More F-35s Used to Train Turkish Pilots
(Bloomberg) -- The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin Corp. this week delivered an F-35 jet bought by Turkey to an Arizona base where it will help train Turkish pilots, despite a continuing dispute over that country’s purchase of a Russian missile defense system.
Another F-35 ordered by Turkey could be delivered to the Arizona base on Friday, Vice Admiral Mat Winter, the Pentagon’s F-35 program manager, said in an interview Thursday. The two jets would be the third and fourth sent to Luke Air Force Base and destined for Turkey.
“Both aircraft were given approval to ferry to Luke and join the test squadron,” Winter said.
The U.S. and Turkey have been in an escalating dispute over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to buy the Russian S-400 missile defense system. The U.S. says the system was designed to shoot down American and allied aircraft, including the F-35, which Turkish manufacturers help build. Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan has called Turkey’s planned purchase of the S-400 “incompatible” with the sale of F-35s.
Amid the conflict, defense officials had signaled Monday that the fighters due to be sent to Arizona were going to be delayed. Shanahan appeared to soften his stance Tuesday when he told reporters he expected a resolution to the dispute that would result in delivery of all the aircraft that Turkey, a key NATO ally, has purchased.
Turkey has said it intends to buy 100 F-35s.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu defended his country’s purchase of the Russian system at a NATO conference in Washington on Wednesday, saying it was a “done deal.” He threw in a jab at the alliance, of which Turkey has been a member since 1952, saying NATO isn’t “capable enough” of protecting Turkey’s air space.
To contact the reporter on this story: Tony Capaccio in Washington at acapaccio@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Bill Faries at wfaries@bloomberg.net, Larry Liebert, John Harney
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