Turkey has reduced its planned $23 billion acquisition of an F-16 fighter jet package from the United States, scrapping the purchase of 79 modernisation kits for its existing fleet, Defence Minister Yasar Guler said late on Tuesday.
Turkey has reduced its planned $23 billion acquisition of an F-16 fighter jet package from the United States, scrapping the purchase of 79 modernisation kits for its existing fleet, Defence Minister Yasar Guler said late on Tuesday.
NATO member Turkey earlier this year secured a deal to procure 40 F-16 fighter jets and 79 modernisation kits for its existing F-16s from the United States, after a long-delayed process.
"An initial payment has been made for the procurement of F-16 Block-70. A payment of $1.4 billion has been made. With this, we will buy 40 F-16 Block-70 Viper and we were going to buy 79 modernisation kits," Guler told a parliamentary hearing.
"We gave up on this 79. This is why we gave up: Our Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) facilities are capable of carrying out this modernisation on their own, so we deferred to them," he said.
The sale of the 40 new Lockheed Martin LMT.N F-16 jets and ammunition for them will cost Turkey some $7 billion, Guler added.
Turkey placed its order in October 2021, two years after the United States kicked the country out of the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet program over its procurement of a Russian missile defence system.
Turkey wants to re-join the F-35 programme and buy 40 new F-35 jets, Guler also said.
Turkey is one of the largest operators of F-16s, with its fleet made up of more than 200 older Block 30, 40 and 50 models.
Ankara is also interested in buying Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain.
Japan’s ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has secured a sweeping victory in Sunday’s lower house election, cementing her autho...
A Ukrainian-born Russian citizen has been extradited to Moscow from Dubai on suspicion of gravely injuring one of Russia's most senior intelligence of...
Iranian activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi was sentenced to a new prison term of 7-1/2 years, a group supporting her said on Sunda...
Antonio Jose Seguro secured a landslide win in Portugal’s presidential runoff, defeating far-right rival Andre Ventura and becoming the country’s ...
Hong Kong’s most prominent media tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced on Monday (9 February) to a total of 20 years in prison on national security charges...
Turkish state broadcaster TRT reported on Thursday (29 January) that six people had been arrested by Turkish authorities for allegedly conducting espionage activities inside Türkiye.
The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) on Sunday dispatched 11 trucks carrying humanitarian aid.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will embark on an official visit to Türkiye on Monday to bolster bilateral ties.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his country’s support for a ceasefire deal between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which calls for the latter’s integration into the Syrian state apparatus.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised American freestyle skier Hunter Hess after the athlete said he felt conflicted about representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in Italy, sparking a public clash that highlights growing political tensions surrounding the Games.
Iran would retaliate by striking U.S. military bases across the Middle East if it comes under attack by American forces, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday (7 January), stressing that such action should not be seen as targeting the countries hosting those bases.
U.S. skiing great Lindsey Vonn underwent surgery in an Italian hospital on Sunday after her attempt to win Olympic downhill gold ended in a violent crash just seconds into the race at the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Several avalanches struck northern Italy on Saturday, killing at least three people, as rescue officials warned the death toll could rise with unstable conditions persisting across the Alps.
A Japanese city near Mount Fuji has cancelled its annual cherry blossom festival, saying growing numbers of badly behaved tourists are disrupting daily life for residents.
A Ukrainian-born Russian citizen has been extradited to Moscow from Dubai on suspicion of gravely injuring one of Russia's most senior intelligence officers, according to Russian security officials and investigators.
Hong Kong’s most prominent media tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced on Monday (9 February) to a total of 20 years in prison on national security charges. The verdict covers two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count related to publishing seditious materials.
Double world champion Max Langenhan delivered a dominant performance to win men’s luge singles gold on Sunday (8 February), breaking the track record four consecutive times as Germany extended its grip on the sport, now winning four of the past five Olympic titles.
U.S. skiing great Lindsey Vonn underwent surgery in an Italian hospital on Sunday after her attempt to win Olympic downhill gold ended in a violent crash just seconds into the race at the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
India’s trade minister said diversifying energy imports and expanding purchases of advanced technology from the United States would serve New Delhi’s strategic interests, as the two countries move closer to finalising a long-awaited trade agreement.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment