Washington, June 19 (TNS): Despite opposition from the US Congress, Turkey is set to receive its first F-35 Joint Strike Fighters on Thursday during a ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
“Lockheed Martin will hold a rollout ceremony for Turkey this Thursday in Fort Worth, and the two jets will follow-on to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona at a later date,” Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Mike Andrews told CNN.
“Turkish F-35 pilots and maintainers have arrived at Luke Air Force Base and will begin flight academics soon,” he added.
Although Turkey has long been a participant in the development of the F-35 program, the US Senate had sought to block Turkey from receiving the stealth warplanes through language in the National Defense Authorization Act amid a deterioration of the US-Turkey relationship.
The Senate’s version of the defense bill expressed concern over Ankara’s planned purchase of the S-400 anti-aircraft system from Russia and what it labeled Turkey’s unlawful and wrongful detention of Andre Brunson, a US citizen.
Many US officials have expressed concern that a major Russian military system like the S-400 would be incompatible with the NATO systems used by Turkey’s alliance partners.
The Senate bill also calls on Secretary of Defense James Mattis to submit to Congress “a plan to remove the Government of the Republic of Turkey from participation in the F-35 program” as well as list the “steps required to prohibit the transfer of any F-35 aircraft currently owned and operated, by the Government of the Republic of Turkey, from the territory of the United States.”
A US defense official said that Mattis is opposed to congressional attempts to block Turkey’s receipt of the advanced warplanes. The official says Mattis has been actively engaging with members of Congress in an attempt to ensure that the language in the Senate’s version of the defense bill does not make it into the final version to be signed by President Donald Trump.
The Senate overwhelmingly passed its version of the defense authorization bill on Monday. Congressional efforts to block the sale to Turkey have drawn criticism from Turkish officials.
Courtesy: (TNS/CNN)
