Ankara concern over delay in US sale of F-16 jets

The stalemate in Washington on the issue of the approval for the modernization and sale of the F-16s is increasingly concerning Ankara, prompting skepticism about the future of US-Turkish relations.

High-ranking Turkish officials believe that the issue may not be resolved by the end of 2023, which is why on Monday Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened that his country’s Parliament would reject Sweden’s membership of NATO.

So far the US has given no guarantee that the issue will proceed as expected, since it needs Congressional approval and has been met with objections. But the needs of the Turkish Air Force are increasing as there are already delays from Turkey’s exclusion from the F-35 program.

Turkish military analysts say that if the F-16 issue is delayed further, Ankara will have to look for alternatives. They also say that if the modernization program is not started, the Turkish Air Force should start retiring some of these fighters that have already reached their life and flight limit.