The possibility of Turkey purchasing a Su-35 from Russia is said to be over now that Turkey will soon own the most modern variant of the US F-16 fighter.
Due to limitations in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that have been lifted by the US government, Turkey has a very high chance of purchasing F-16 Block 70 fighters in 2023. In the past, the US declined to sell a new F-16 model to Turkey and modernise its F-16 aircraft. The fundamental justification for the restrictions up to this point is that Ankara breached Greek airspace using weaponry made in the US.
The provisions put in place by the House of Representatives to restrict Turkey’s purchase of F-16s have been completely removed from the new version of the NDAA, which also includes the defence budget for 2023. As a result, the F-16 sale to Turkey proved feasible. This alteration has an impact on both the acquisition of new fighter aircraft as well as the upkeep of Ankara’s F-16 Fighting Falcon fleet.
Turkey plans to modernise at least 79 outdated fighters and purchase 40 new F-16 Block 70 aircraft. Despite the moratorium being lifted, opposition to arms sales to Ankara is anticipated in the coming months from some members of Congress. Democratic senator from New Jersey Bob Mendes has repeatedly vowed to take whatever action is necessary to stop the sale of F-16s to Turkey. The comment claims that Mr. Mendes is hostile to Ankara and friendly with Greek lobbyists in the US.
Ankara is dissatisfied with Washington’s recent actions, particularly since earlier iterations of the NDAA placed restrictions on Turkey. The situation is so grave that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan even “threatens” from Washington to Turkey’s allies that Turkey is prepared to turn to either France or Russia.
It is possible to obtain these vehicles elsewhere, and some manufacturers have given us a signal, Erdogan said, adding that the US is not the only country selling fighter jets. Turkey has started updating some of its F-16 fighter fleet in the meantime. Ankara claims that the country’s indigenous AESA radar will be incorporated into the F-16 in addition to the new attack drones.
American air-to-surface and air-to-air missiles were gradually being replaced by Turkish guided weapons, primarily developed by Roketsan, in Ankara.
Turkey’s reliance on Western producers started to decline. When it refuses to sell weapons to Turkey in recent years, it disadvantages more than just the United States. The Turkish cruise missile’s French Safran engine will also be replaced after domestically produced alternatives that meet the specifications have been created.
Both the TF-X next-generation fighter project and the Altay main battle tank project have engines being developed in Turkey. The nation now has missiles made in-house that are almost as good as any cruise missiles that have been acquired over the years from foreign manufacturers.
The NDAA’s limiting clauses have been removed, giving Washington the opportunity to regain market share that it has lost in recent years. Negotiations to sell F-16s to Turkey have been ongoing since last year.
The last meeting on this subject in August of this year is regarded as a turning point because US President Joe Biden accepted responsibility before his Turkish counterpart for Washington’s delivery of fighter jets, which is thought to have ended any possibility of selling Russia’s Su-35S.
