Russia, Turkey in Talks on Possible Su-35 Sale
IsraelDefense
| 29/09/2019
By Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia - Russian Air Force, RF-95475, Sukhoi Su-35S, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62644494
Russia and Turkey are holding talks about the possible sale of Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, the head of Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugaev said in an interview with Russia’s RIA news agency.
Asked about a possible delivery of the Russian fighter jets to Turkey, Shugaev said Su-35 model is in priority to sell as the “first in a line of Russian combat aviation,” while Su-57 can be considered as the next stage.
“We have a progressive interaction in this area. It is too early to talk about any contracts and say that we have started something specific, but the issue is being studied, consultations are being held at the level of specialists and experts,” he said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Friday that the United States is actively mulling re-admitting Turkey to the F-35 fighter jet program.
In July, Washington announced it was taking Turkey out of the F-35 program over Ankara’s purchase of Russian-made S-400 air defense systems. According to the US, the S-400 is not compatible with NATO defenses and poses a threat to F-35 fighter jets.
Initially having ordered 30 F-35 jets, Turkey intended to buy 116 stealth fighter jets, and the country has already received four of them. However, its four F-35 fighter jets will not be delivered, and the training of the Turkish pilots was suspended.
[Sources: Daily Sabah, Reuters]
By Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia - Russian Air Force, RF-95475, Sukhoi Su-35S, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62644494
Russia and Turkey are holding talks about the possible sale of Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, the head of Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugaev said in an interview with Russia’s RIA news agency.
Asked about a possible delivery of the Russian fighter jets to Turkey, Shugaev said Su-35 model is in priority to sell as the “first in a line of Russian combat aviation,” while Su-57 can be considered as the next stage.
“We have a progressive interaction in this area. It is too early to talk about any contracts and say that we have started something specific, but the issue is being studied, consultations are being held at the level of specialists and experts,” he said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Friday that the United States is actively mulling re-admitting Turkey to the F-35 fighter jet program.
In July, Washington announced it was taking Turkey out of the F-35 program over Ankara’s purchase of Russian-made S-400 air defense systems. According to the US, the S-400 is not compatible with NATO defenses and poses a threat to F-35 fighter jets.
Initially having ordered 30 F-35 jets, Turkey intended to buy 116 stealth fighter jets, and the country has already received four of them. However, its four F-35 fighter jets will not be delivered, and the training of the Turkish pilots was suspended.
[Sources: Daily Sabah, Reuters]
