The U.S. Sends Draft Agreement for F-16 Fighter Jet Sale to Turkey

On March 1, the spokesperson for the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that the United States has sent draft letters of proposal and acceptance regarding Turkey's request to purchase F-16 Block 70 fighter jets and modernization kits. Turkey made this request in October 2021. Two years prior, the U.S. had removed Turkey from the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet program due to its purchase of a Russian missile defense system. However, after Turkey agreed to Sweden's NATO membership on January 23, the U.S. accepted to proceed with this delayed agreement. The Biden administration officially informed Congress of its intention to continue the $23 billion sale from Lockheed Martin, which began producing new jets last month. Since Congress did not block the sale within the 15-day deadline, the final sale is expected to commence at the beginning of next month. Admiral Zeki Aktürk, spokesperson for the Turkish Ministry of Defense, told reporters that after Turkey reviews the draft letters, officials from both countries are expected to meet to finalize the agreement. Turkey, with about 200 older F-16 jets in its air fleet, is one of the largest users of this fighter jet in the world. U.S. Senator Chris Murphy stated last week, after meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, that the relationship between these two NATO allies is rapidly improving and they can benefit from this situation.