Erdogan Claims Progress in Bid to Secure F-35 Fighter Jet From United States

Latest Developments

• Erdogan Meets With Trump: After meeting with President Donald Trump at the NATO Summit in The Hague, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed optimism over discussions to enable Turkey to receive fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighter jets from the United States. “We discussed the F-35 issue. We made payments of $1.3 to $1.4 billion for the jets, and we saw that Mr. Trump was well-intentioned about delivering them,” Erdogan said. He added that Turkey’s Russian-made S-400 air defense system did not come up during the talks.
• Attacks on Israel Continue: In the same press conference, Erdogan continued to attack Israel in the wake of its war with Iran and its ongoing operations in Gaza. Since Hamas’s deadly October 7, 2023, atrocities, Erdogan has prayed for the destruction of Israel, openly supported Hamas, and compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler. Turkey, a NATO member, also held up the membership of Sweden and Finland into the alliance and threatened military action against Greece, another NATO member.
• Russian Defense System an Obstacle: Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing the Russian-made S-400 air defense system due to concerns over America’s most advanced fighter aircraft being operated by a Turkish military that also operates Russia’s most advanced air defense system. In March, Erdogan discussed rejoining the F-35 program during a phone call with Trump, while Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the lifting of Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) penalties imposed on Turkey in 2020. Netanyahu reportedly urged Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio not to sell F-35s to Turkey, while Germany temporarily blocked Turkey’s purchase of the Eurofighter Typhoon over its arrest of Istanbul Mayor and Erdogan opponent Ekrem Imamoglu.

FDD Expert Response

“When the October 7 massacre in Israel put the choice clearly to Erdogan, he opted for Hamas over the United States. That’s not exactly the kind of leader we should trust with America’s most advanced fighter jet. What would keep Erdogan from sharing sensitive technological details about the F-35 with Russia? Once Putin has those details, we should assume he would share the information with Iran and China. That would put Americans, Israelis, and our other allies at risk in future F-35 operations.” — Bradley Bowman, Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power

“Turkey should not get access to U.S. F-35 sales until it destroys or returns the S-400 air defense missile system it foolishly purchased from Russia, and also, not until it publicly renounces and completely ceases support for Hamas — a vicious terrorist organization that targets and kills Americans. Turkey may be a member of NATO, but it has not treated the United States with respect for decades.” — RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Fellow and Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology

“Turkey remains in a precarious position. Erdogan has invested heavily in Syria, which continues to struggle with sectarian violence and terror attacks. By working closely with Trump on lifting Syria sanctions and helping to broker talks between Russia and Ukraine over a potential ceasefire, Erdogan believes he can negotiate Turkey’s reintegration into the F-35 program. Despite this strategy, Turkey has taken no action to alleviate the concerns of Congress and NATO stemming from the possession of the S-400 Russian air defense system, which would compromise the entire F-35 fleet.” — Tyler Stapleton, Director of Government Relations at FDD Action

FDD Background and Analysis

“Erdogan Attempts to Rally the Muslim World Against Israel,” by Sinan Ciddi and Tyler Stapleton

“Time For a New Policy Toward Erdogan,” by Cameron McMillan, Sinan Ciddi, and Bradley Bowman

“Russia’s S-400: An offer U.S. partners should refuse,” by Bradley Bowman and Andrew Gabel

“S-400 or F-35? Turkey’s Erdogan Must Choose,” by Bradley Boman and Andrew Gabel