Turkey will take its first delivery of U.S.-made F-35 warplanes on June 21, state-run Anadolu news agency reported, citing defence sources.
However, on April 18, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Wess Mitchell told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that "Turkey could face US sanctions if it goes ahead with plans to purchase S-400 missile defence systems from Russia, and it can also affect Ankara’s participation in the F-35 program."
According to Anadolu, two fighter pilots from the Turkish Air Forces are getting special training in the U.S., where the delivery of the first plane to Turkey is planned to be done with a ceremony, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
After the training is completed, and another warplane is delivered, the F-35 jets are planned to be brought to Turkey in September 2019. The trained pilots will fly the two F-35s from the U.S., accompanied by a refuelling plane, the report said.
In 2014 Turkey placed an order for the first two F-35 jets for the projected fleet of 100 F-35A aircraft and plans to deploy the aircraft by 2019. The F-35 jets are planned to be deployed at the 7th Main Jet Base Command in Turkey’s eastern Malatya province, where preparations have already begun to replace F-4 aircraft.
F-35 fighter is being developed and built by U.S. defence contractor Lockheed Martin for the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Italy, Norway, Turkey, the Netherlands, Denmark and Canada in a project worth about $400 billion, making it the world's most expensive weapons program.
Ten Turkish firms, including ASELSAN, Kale Aviation, Microwave and Electronic Systems (MiKES), ROKETSAN, and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), are involved in the production of parts and electronic systems, and the engine maintenance for the F-35s.
