The news comes as the U.S. Congress attempts to derail the process because of the country decision to purchase Russian S-400 surface-to-air-missiles
Lockheed Martin will deliver Turkey’s first F-35A stealth fighter on Jun. 21.
Noteworthy as reported by Hurriyetdailynews.com the news comes as the U.S. Congress attempts to derail the process because of the country decision to upgrade its air defense systems with Russian S-400 surface-to-air-missiles (SAMs).
“If they take such a step at a moment when we are trying to mend our bilateral ties, they will definitely get a response from Turkey. There is no longer the old Turkey,” Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told private broadcaster CNN Türk in an interview on May 6.
Turkey has partnered with Lockheed Martin for more than 25 years, primarily on the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft. Turkey continued that partnership when it joined the F-35 Lighting II program during the System Development and Demonstration phase of the Joint Strike Fighter Program.
According Lockheed Martin, as a program partner, Turkish industries are eligible to become suppliers to the global F-35 fleet for the life of the program. In total, F-35 industrial opportunities for Turkish companies are expected to reach $12 billion.
Turkey plans to purchase 100 of the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variant.
The F-35 Lightning II, which is the result of the JSF program, has been originally designed to replace aging fighter inventories including U.S. Air Force F-16s and A-10s, U.S. Navy F/A-18s, U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers and F/A-18s, and U.K. Tornados, Harrier GR.7s and Sea Harriers. Three Joint Strike Fighter variants have been developed to fulfill this difficult task: the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant, the F-35B short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) variant, and the F-35C carrier-based Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) variant.
Photo credit: Senior Airman James Hensley / U.S. Air Force
Artwork courtesy of AircraftProfilePrints.com
