A major step forward has been taken in selling new F-16s jets to Türkiye, the U.S. ambassador to Ankara said Thursday, citing another statement from the Bureau of the Political-Military Affairs of the State Department.
“Today marks an important step forward in Türkiye’s purchase of the latest-generation F-16 Block 70 fighter jets and upgrades to its existing fleet of F-16s," Ambassador Jeffrey Flake said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
"This is good for U.S. national security, Turkish national security and NATO interoperability," he added while thanking the "hard work" of Turkish defense and foreign affairs ministries.
The Bureau of the Political-Military Affairs, in a separate post, said, "U.S. proud to announce today a major step forward in Türkiye’s purchase of new F-16 Block 70 fighter jets – the most advanced F-16 ever made, available only to closest Allies and partners. Just the latest example of the U.S. enduring commitment to a security partnership with Türkiye."
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has earlier this year finally approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye, ending years of sometimes tense negotiations that marked one of the issues in the bilateral relations between the two NATO allies.
The approval for selling 40 new F-16 Block 70 aircraft and 79 modernization kits to upgrade its remaining F-16s came in shortly after Ankara formally ratified Sweden's membership in NATO.
The sources of the National Defense Ministry confirmed in the weekly press briefing on Thursday that the procurement process regarding the deal is proceeding according to schedule.
"The procurement process of F-16 Block-70 and modernization kits and other materials, ammunition and equipment to be purchased in line with the needs of our Air Force Command continues positively in accordance with the schedule we announced before," the sources said.
The Block 70s series of aircraft are considered the most advanced fourth-generation fighter aircraft, equipped with the latest technology.
NATO ally Türkiye has long sought to upgrade its F-16 fleet and first requested the jets in October 2021. The Biden administration supported the sale, but several lawmakers in Congress tied the sale to Türkiye's approval of Sweden's NATO bid.
Frustrated by the prolonged process over F-16s, Türkiye late last year also said it began discussing buying Eurofighters, produced by a consortium involving Germany, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom.
The Biden administration has called on Congress to greenlight Türkiye's bid in January, paving the way for a $20 billion sale.
