With US approval for the release of a batch of fighter jet engines widely expected, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is preparing to welcome his American counterpart, Donald Trump, to Ankara, for the July 7-8 NATO summit.
The anticipated move would provide a significant boost to Turkey’s air force, which has been grappling with declining operational readiness among its fighter fleet, and allow Ankara to continue developing its homegrown KAAN fighter jet
However, Erdogan’s primary objective of rejoining the US-led F-35 fighter program continues to appear out of reach.
Opposition within the US Republican Party, lobbying efforts by Greek and Israeli groups, and restrictions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which effectively bar the coexistence of F-35 aircraft and Russia’s S-400 air defense system, leave Ankara with little prospect of returning to the program.
Instead, in what officials have portrayed as a goodwill gesture, Trump is expected to approve the sale of 80 General Electric F110-129E engines, along with export licenses allowing them to be installed in the twin-engine KAAN fighter. The move would bolster Turkey as it seeks to narrow the technological gap with Greece and Israel.
