{"id":9125,"date":"2026-06-28T13:24:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T10:24:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/?p=9125"},"modified":"2026-06-28T13:24:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T10:24:30","slug":"turkeys-erdogan-unfit-for-f-35-fighter-jets-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/turkeys-erdogan-unfit-for-f-35-fighter-jets-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey&#8217;s Erdogan Unfit for F-35 Fighter Jets Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>According to <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, Trump indicated Wednesday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is <em>a strong member of NATO<\/em> and that he would probably do something to make the Turkish leader very happy. The statement came amid discussions of a $700 million deal for jet aircraft engines and the more controversial possibility of selling F-35 stealth fighters to Ankara.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-9125 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-medium'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26058067841698-300x200.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-9121\" srcset=\"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26058067841698-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26058067841698-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26058067841698.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-9121'>\n\t\t\t\tPhoto: washingtonexaminer.com\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26175176065328-300x200.webp\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-9122\" srcset=\"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26175176065328-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26175176065328-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26175176065328.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-9122'>\n\t\t\t\tPhoto: washingtonexaminer.com\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/iStock-1126187659-e1781197025439-300x200.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-9123\" srcset=\"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/iStock-1126187659-e1781197025439-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/iStock-1126187659-e1781197025439-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/iStock-1126187659-e1781197025439.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-9123'>\n\t\t\t\tPhoto: washingtonexaminer.com\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The distinction between these two potential sales matters enormously. While jet engines for Turkey&#8217;s domestic Kaan fighter program could strengthen military ties without compromising American strategic advantages, F-35 sales would trigger serious opposition from Congress, the Pentagon, and key American allies.<\/p>\n<h2>Turkey&#8217;s Complicated Alliance Status<\/h2>\n<p>Turkey remains a NATO member, and the United States maintains obligations to consider requests from allied nations. Providing jet engines for Turkish-manufactured Kaan fighters would demonstrate Washington&#8217;s commitment to military-to-military cooperation while encouraging Ankara to support rather than undermine NATO cohesion and stability in the eastern Mediterranean.<\/p>\n<p>Regional powers including Israel and Greece would oppose even the jet engine sale, as <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reports. However, their own possession or pending acquisition of F-35 aircraft ensures continued air warfare superiority over Turkey\u2014a critical balance given <strong>Erdogan&#8217;s<\/strong> hostility toward Israel, ambitions to rival Iran as a regional power, and ongoing territorial provocations against Greece.<\/p>\n<h2>The S-400 Problem<\/h2>\n<p>The fundamental obstacle to F-35 sales remains Turkey&#8217;s 2017 purchase of Russia&#8217;s S-400 air defense system\u2014a decision that represented betrayal of NATO allies and American trust. Operating S-400 systems alongside F-35 fighters would grant Moscow access to invaluable intelligence on the stealth fighter&#8217;s electronic and radar signatures.<\/p>\n<p>Russia could exploit this knowledge directly or share it with China, Iran, or North Korea to develop more effective targeting systems against F-35s in future conflicts. This scenario threatens American aircrews and undermines war planning across multiple theaters.<\/p>\n<h2>A History of Bad Faith<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Erdogan<\/strong> has transformed Turkey from a dynamic democracy and economic powerhouse into what critics describe as an Islamist authoritarian fiefdom. He has imprisoned political opponents on fabricated charges, crushed free speech, and enabled widespread corruption.<\/p>\n<p>His treatment of the United States reflects contempt rather than partnership. During a May 2017 Washington visit, Erdogan ordered his bodyguards to attack peaceful protesters outside the Turkish Embassy. He held American citizens including Pastor <strong>Andrew Brunson<\/strong> as political hostages, releasing them only when the first Trump administration imposed sanctions.<\/p>\n<h2>Congressional Opposition Expected<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Vice President JD Vance<\/strong> confirmed Wednesday that the Pentagon is working through legal and bureaucratic questions surrounding potential F-35 sales to Turkey. However, existing legislation aims to prevent such sales as long as Ankara retains the S-400 system.<\/p>\n<p>House Armed Services Committee Chairman <strong>Rep. Mike Rogers<\/strong> of Alabama and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman <strong>Sen. Roger Wicker<\/strong> of Mississippi face pressure to resist any arrangement that compromises American security. Bipartisan support exists for blocking F-35 transfers that could jeopardize American military advantages.<\/p>\n<h2>Strategic Risks Beyond Turkey<\/h2>\n<p>Selling advanced stealth fighters to Erdogan without requiring S-400 removal would signal weakness in American negotiating posture. Greece, Israel, and other regional partners would fear Turkey might deploy fifth-generation aircraft against them once Trump leaves office or bilateral relations deteriorate.<\/p>\n<p>The decision ultimately presents a choice between accommodating an unpredictable, frequently anti-American ally and protecting genuine American security interests alongside more reliable partners. The jet engine sale offers a middle path\u2014maintaining NATO cooperation without surrendering critical military-technical advantages that protect American lives and strategic objectives.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><em>With information from <a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Washington Examiner<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump&#8217;s administration faces pressure to approve Turkey military sales, with jet engines posing fewer risks than F-35 fighters blocked since Ankara&#8217;s 2017 Russian S-400 purchase.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":9124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[122],"tags":[196,8320,8321,223,926,95,209],"nfg_topic":[135],"class_list":["post-9125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-donald-trump","tag-f-35-fighter-jets","tag-military-sales","tag-nato","tag-recep-tayyip-erdogan","tag-turkey","tag-united-states","nfg_topic-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9125"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9126,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9125\/revisions\/9126"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9125"},{"taxonomy":"nfg_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nfg_topic?post=9125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}