The relations between U.S and Turkey through F-16 Jets

On 7th of October Turkey’s President Erdogan asked the U.S to buy 40 F-16 jets to upgrade Air-Force Sources and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes although Turkey was imposed sanctions by the U.S over Russian weapons.

The deal worth 6 million dollars is still working its way through the Foreign Military Sales process which is subject to approval by the U.S. State Department as well as the U.S. Congress which can block deals.

The decades-old partnership between the NATO allies has gone through unprecedented tumult in the past five years over disagreements on Syria policy, Ankara’s closer ties with Moscow, its naval ambitions in the eastern Mediterranean, U.S. charges against a state-owned Turkish bank and erosion of rights and freedoms in Turkey.

Ankara hopes this request will make better ties under U.S President Joe Biden.

Turkey, once a partner in the F-35 program and set to buy 100 F-35A conventional takeoff-and-landing models, was expelled from the program after accepting delivery of the Russian S-400 air defence system.

Turkey’s removal from the F-35 program has been finalised as of Sept. 23, Pentagon says. The talks between U.S. and Turkish officials are now in the format of a “dispute resolution”, which will primarily tackle the issue of what to do with Ankara’s prior payment to the program.