US-based news outlet Bloomberg reported that Turkey is preparing to launch new negotiations with American defence giant Lockheed Martin to resolve a dispute over the pricing of F-16 fighter jets.
According to Bloomberg’s Selcan Hacaoğlu, Ankara is getting ready for a new round of talks with the Washington-based company to address cost discrepancies that have emerged during the procurement process and to reach an agreement on technical specifications.
Financing of New Production Lines Causes Friction
The report stated that Lockheed Martin plans to establish new production lines to reduce its backlog of F-16 orders and has requested that the financing of these lines be covered by Turkey.
However, Ankara is said to have reacted negatively to this proposal.
Turkey currently possesses the world’s largest F-16 fleet outside the United States. According to the report, Turkey is also requesting access to the source codes of the aircraft’s mission computer to integrate domestically developed missiles and radar systems into the F-16s.
Lockheed Martin: “Pricing Is Appropriate”
The total value of the deal has not been disclosed, but the price of F-16 fighter jets varies depending on their technical specifications and the systems included.
It is generally known that each F-16 costs tens of millions of dollars.
According to Bloomberg, Lockheed Martin stated that it “offers reasonable operating and life-cycle costs” under the agreement and referred detailed questions to the US and Turkish governments.
S-400 and F-35 Issues Back on the Agenda
The report also noted that Turkey could reconsider the purchase of 40 F-35 fighter jets if the US Congress lifts sanctions imposed due to Ankara’s acquisition of Russian-made S-400 air defence systems.
The issue was previously discussed during a meeting at the White House between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and then-US President Donald Trump, but no concrete resolution was achieved.
According to sources, Ankara is not inclined to completely deactivate the S-400 systems; however, Turkey may, in principle, approve the establishment of a joint military mechanism that would oversee the monitoring of the S-400s.
