21.12.2025, 18:15
Zitat:Türkiye prioritises F-35s as F-16 Block 70 path stays open
21 Dec 2025, 13:33 4 mins
USA United Kingdom Turkiye
Air
Türkiye prioritises F-35s as F-16 Block 70 path stays open TurDef
Türkiye’s Minister of National Defence, Yaşar Güler, has said Ankara does not foresee problems in the ongoing F-16 Viper procurement process, while underlining that Türkiye’s primary objective remains a return to the F-35 programme.
Güler made the remarks during the Ministry of National Defence’s annual assessment meeting with Ankara representatives of national media outlets. TurDef compiled the shared record of the briefings as reported across multiple outlets.
Addressing the most sensitive pillars of Türkiye–US defence relations — CAATSA sanctions, the F-16 Viper package and the F-35 programme — Güler said dedicated working groups are actively engaged to move the processes forward.
“We know that US President Donald Trump has taken steps to bring the lifting of CAATSA sanctions to the Senate, and that US officials are also working on this issue,” Güler said.
“We see no problem regarding the F-16 procurement. Of course, our priority will be the F-35s. We are aware that Israel and Greece have been lobbying against the delivery of these aircraft to us. We continue our own efforts for the removal of CAATSA sanctions. We have separate working groups for each of these issues, and when the process reaches the resolution stage, we will of course share it with you. Türkiye and the United States will resolve these matters,” he added.
Güler established the most detailed delivery timeline which shows the United Kingdom will supply 20 new Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to Türkiye. The minister announced that the delivery schedule includes six aircraft for 2030 followed by eight aircraft in 2031 and six aircraft in 2032.
https://turdef.com/article/tuerkiye-prio...stays-open