Turkey revives F-16 talks with US amid Israel, Greece deterrence concerns
Ankara’s renewed talks with Washington come as older aircraft near retirement while the Eurofighter and Kaan remain years from filling Turkey’s future air-power needs.
ANKARA — Lingering uncertainty over Turkey’s prospects of acquiring Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, coupled with Ankara’s need to modernize its aging combat aircraft fleet, likely drove its decision to resume talks with Washington over the purchase of additional F-16 aircraft.
With Turkey’s aging F-4E Phantoms nearing retirement and its F-16 fleet growing older, Ankara faces a potential capability gap before its next-generation indigenous fighter, the KAAN, becomes fully operational.
The new US-made F-16 Block 70s could provide a ready-made bridge through that transition, as Turkey’s access to F-35 aircraft remains uncertain, and its first Eurofighters are not expected before 2030.
Turkish and US air force officials held talks at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Sept. 17-18, according to Turkey’s Defense Ministry.
