Earlier, the head of Turkey’s defense industry department, Ismail Demir, said that if the US F-16 fighter deal fails, Turkey may consider buying Russian Su-35s.
“If Ankara is interested in acquiring Russian military products, including in the field of military aviation, relevant Russian departments will process relevant requests,” Pilipson said in an interview.
The diplomat also pointed out that the leadership of the Russian Federation has repeatedly stated that Russian companies are able to fully meet the needs of their own military in all areas, including those of modern high technology.
Recall that earlier Washington sent an official notice to Ankara about its exclusion from the F-35 fighter supply program due to Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems. It should be noted that the American authorities canceled the joint memorandum on the F-35 with Turkey, signing it with the remaining seven partners of the F-35 project – Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark, Canada and Norway. Subsequently, the Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the American proposal to purchase other fighters, but not the fifth, but the fourth generation – the F-16. A decision on this issue must be made in the United States Congress.
