USA To Grant F-16 Fighter Jets To Turkey

USA To Grant F-16 Fighter Jets To Turkey. The approval for the sale of 40 new F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, valued at $23 billion (£18 billion), by the US government has finally been granted, marking the resolution of a long-delayed decision. This significant development comes after Turkey formally ratified Sweden’s accession to NATO, a process that experienced more than a year of delays and caused tensions within the alliance.

In addition to the acquisition of the new F-16s, the deal also includes modernization kits for 79 existing Turkish F-16 fighter jets. The US State Department informed Congress about the approval of another notable arms deal, allowing the sale of 40 F-35 fighters to Greece at a cost of $8.6 billion.

The diplomatic intricacies surrounding the F-16 sale were closely tied to Turkey’s prior hesitation in endorsing Sweden’s NATO membership bid, initiated in 2021. Turkey had expressed concerns about Sweden’s perceived support for Kurdish separatists, which acted as a significant stumbling block in the approval process. However, this week, Turkish MPs finally ratified Sweden’s NATO accession, and President Tayyip Erdogan provided his final approval.

The urgency for approving the F-16 sales was emphasized by US President Joe Biden, who urged that the process be expedited without further delay. The context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 elevated the strategic importance of Turkey as a NATO bulwark in the Black Sea region.

Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, highlighted the conditional nature of his approval for the F-16 sale to Turkey. He stated that his decision was contingent upon Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership. However, he underscored the gravity of the decision, emphasizing the need for improvements in Turkey’s human rights record and increased accountability for Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

It’s worth noting that Hungary remains the only NATO member yet to ratify Sweden’s accession, although recent signs suggest progress in this regard. In a separate development last year, the US had already approved the transfer of American-made F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands to Ukraine. This transfer is set to take place once Ukrainian pilots are fully trained to operate the aircraft.