US officials say the US will begin the process of selling F-16s to Türkiye as soon as Ankara completes Sweden's admission into NATO.
The Turkish Parliament on January 23 voted to ratify Sweden's NATO accession protocol. President Tayyip Erdogan is expected to sign the document in the next few days to complete the approval process, after which it will be sent to the US for formalities.
US Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake said on January 25 that after Washington receives the document, the US State Department will immediately notify Congress to initiate the $20 billion sale of F-16 fighters to Ankara. "As soon as the document is sent, an official announcement will be made," Mr. Flake said.
An unnamed US official said on the same day that President Joe Biden had informed the leaders of key US congressional committees of his intention to initiate the process of selling F-16s to Türkiye. The White House also sent letters to some lawmakers on January 24 urging them to approve the deal, according to several sources.
US F-16 fighter jets in Iraq in 2008. Photo: Wikimedia
To join NATO, Sweden needs the approval of all 30 member states. Hungary is the only country that has not given the green light to the Nordic country. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban pledged on January 24 to urge the country's parliament to vote in favor of Ankara joining the alliance.
Türkiye initially ordered more than 100 F-35A stealth fighters made by US corporation Lockheed Martin, but was dropped from the project in 2019 after purchasing the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.
The US then proposed selling F-16 fighters to offset the $1.4 billion Ankara invested in the F-35 project. However, the deal was opposed by some US congressional leaders, due to human rights issues and Türkiye's delay in approving Sweden into NATO.
President Erdogan said last month that Mr. Biden had pledged to urge Congress to approve the F-16 sale, in exchange for which Mr. Erdogan would call on Congress to approve Sweden’s application to join NATO.
The F-16 multi-role fighter, developed by General Dynamics since the 1970s, is used by the US and its allies, with a price of about 30-35 million USD depending on the variant. The F-16 can reach a maximum speed of 2,121 km/h at an altitude of 12,000 m, a maximum ceiling of 18,000 m with a range of 546 km. The F-16 is equipped with a 20 mm 6-barrel cannon, 11 hardpoints that can carry 7.7 tons of weapons.
Türkiye is the country that owns the third largest F-16 fleet in the world with 270 aircraft. The country wants to order 40 more F-16 fighters and 79 modernization kits from the US.
Pham Giang (According to Reuters )
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