One of the main agenda items during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on September 25 will be the future of the F-35 fighter jets.
On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said negotiations over Türkiye’s purchase of F-35 aircraft from the United States would continue, adding that the issue is “awaiting a positive result.”
Türkiye’s Removal from the F-35 Program
Türkiye was expelled from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program after acquiring the S-400 air defense system from Russia. Although Ankara had entered into a joint production process with the U.S. and ordered 100 aircraft, Washington suspended deliveries and later replaced Turkish suppliers for over 1,000 components.
Ankara has called these sanctions “unfair” for the last five years. After the NATO Summit in The Hague in June, Erdoğan announced that the two sides had agreed to restart technical-level negotiations.
Why the F-35 Matters
The F-35 Lightning II is a fifth-generation, multi-role fighter jet featuring stealth technology, AI-assisted combat systems, advanced sensors, and real-time data-sharing capabilities.
Key technical features include:
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Top speed: about 1,900 km/h
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Stealth design to evade radar
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Network-centric warfare: can find and strike targets independently while sharing sensor data with other aircraft and battle systems
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9G capability (F-35A) to withstand extreme gravity forces
At around $80 million per aircraft, the F-35 is one of the most expensive jets and forms the core of the largest and costliest weapons program in the world, expected to run for 30–40 years.
Ongoing Concerns with the Program
The Pentagon’s now-discontinued Comprehensive Test Report (November 2024) flagged concerns over maintenance delays, weapons accuracy, and cyber-defense vulnerabilities during six years of combat testing. Bloomberg also reported issues such as frequent false malfunction alarms and repair times taking twice as long as expected.
Global Operators of the F-35
The F-35 program is currently used or on order by 19 countries, including:
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Program partners: U.S., U.K., Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Norway
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Additional buyers: Israel, Japan, South Korea, Belgium, Poland, Singapore, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Greece, Romania
By 2030, Europe is expected to host more than 550 F-35 jets, while the Indo-Pacific region may exceed 300 by 2035.
Türkiye’s Initial Role and Orders
Türkiye joined the F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program in 2002 and invested in production as well as procurement. Former Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz said in 2014 that the country would pay $25 billion for 100 aircraft.
By 2018, Türkiye had taken ownership of four F-35s, which remained in the U.S. for pilot training programs. Two more aircraft were later allocated but never delivered. U.S. congressional opposition—citing democratic backsliding, detention of U.S. citizens, and the S-400 purchase—led to legislative blocks. In August 2018, Trump signed a bill halting delivery.
After being removed from the F-35 program, Türkiye explored alternative suppliers, including Russia. As of December 2020, the U.S. announced it had secured new suppliers for all 1,005 parts previously produced by Türkiye.
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