The Turkish Air Force original plan was to procure 100 F-35 Lightning IIs within the scope of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program. Turkey has officially ordered 30 aircraft. However, the USA decided to impose CAATSA on Turkey due to the acquisition of the Russian S-400 Air Defence Missile System.
So far, the production of six F-35A aircraft for the Turkish Air Force has been completed. The first aircraft was delivered to the Turkish Air Force with a ceremony held in the USA on 21 June 2019. The pilot and maintenance crew were sent for training. Following the CAATSA, the aircraft on the production line was made available to the US Air Force. Turkey has been completely excluded from the JSF Project as of September 2021. Turkey made a payment of 1 billion 400 million USD within the program"s scope.
Turkey now wants to acquire new F-16 aircraft and modernisation kit for existing fleet. The Biden administration considers the F-16 sale a way to repair relations. Some U.S. Senate members however strongly oppose the proposal.Greek media had broadcast that the planes produced in Turkey would be delivered to the Greek Air Force. It is known that the USA kept Pakistani F-16s in the hangar due to the embargo and then demanded a separate parking fee for these aircraft.
