US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Turkey should receive an upgraded version of US F-16 fighters as it will strengthen NATO’s defense capability.
The US Secretary of State did not specify whether the White House considered it acceptable for Turkey to receive the next generation of fighter jets, the F-35s, in the future.
In January, it was reported that Turkey had yet to receive fighter jets from the United States or the roughly $1.4 billion paid for them. After the Turkish side purchased the S-400 air defense systems from Moscow, Washington excluded Ankara from the program to supply the latest F-35 fighters. Later, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country was discussing with the United States the possibility of providing American F-16s to Congress, but not everyone is ready to contribute to its implementation.
US Secretary of State Blinken’s message that Turkey should get upgraded F-16 fighters first appeared on trending articles.
