Pentagon announces the reduction of Turkish participation in the manufacture of parts for F-35 aircraft

A Pentagon spokesman announced that Turkish participation in the production of parts for the F-35 aircraft will decrease, adding that the components of the aircraft that were assigned to Turkey for its production will also be transferred completely to other countries.

13 January, 2021 07:20

NEWS DESK

Russian news site News.ru quoted Pentagon spokesman Thomas Campbell as saying that Turkish participation in the manufacture of components for American F-35 combat aircraft will continue to decline over the next two years.

Campbell added that the production of components has been transferred almost entirely to other countries, stressing that it will continue to decline in line with the US policy towards Turkey.

In addition, the United States excluded Turkey from the international consortium (coalition) to build the F-35 in July 2019, after the country received the first batch of Russian S-400 air defense missiles.

The spokesperson explained, "There are no changes in US policy regarding Turkey's status in the F-35 program. Turkey has been suspended from the F-35 program, and most component production has been moved to other countries in 2020, and will continue to decline in 2021 and 2022.

And last December, Washington imposed sanctions on the Turkish Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) as part of the Combating America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

Washington maintains that the Russian surface-to-air missile system is incompatible with NATO technology and poses a threat to the alliance.

T/S

ANHA