Trump Signals Support for Erdoğan’s Fighter Jet Ambitions in White House Meeting
Despite past U.S. restrictions on Turkey’s participation in the F-35 program, Trump told the Turkish president he may succeed in acquiring the jets, while Israeli and congressional opposition remain strong
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Sarah M. Grawcock
U.S. President Donald Trump said last week to his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, that he would support his success in “buying the things” he would “like to buy”, adding that they will discuss the F-35. These remarks were made during the two presidents’ meeting at the White House.
During the meeting, in which the leaders discussed, among other things, the purchase of advanced fighter jets, a gold pin of a Lockheed Martin F-22 fighter was seen on Trump’s lapel. This aircraft is not sold by the United States to any country. The White House did not provide an explanation to Breaking Defense as to why Trump chose to wear this particular pin during his meeting with the Turkish president.
Turkey’s Efforts to Rejoin the F-35 Program
President Trump said he was aware of Erdoğan’s desire to purchase F-35 aircraft and clarified that "we will discuss this very seriously." In response, Erdoğan stated that "there will be an opportunity to discuss some issues such as the F-35 as well as the F-16." From the statements of both presidents, it appears that Erdoğan made a significant step toward advancing an important deal for Ankara.
The acquisition of F-35 stealth fighters is a top priority for Ankara. Turkey was expelled from the aircraft production program in 2019 after purchasing Russian air defense systems. Since then, Erdoğan has worked hard to return to the program, and Turkey has even begun independently producing locally made air defense systems of the KAAN type.
Strategic Background and Israeli Opposition
Commentators assessed that the previous American refusal to sell F-35 aircraft to Turkey stemmed from regional strategic considerations, and it was even perceived as almost a personal affront to Erdoğan. In the meantime, Turkey examined other fighter jet options and obtained American approval for the supply of F-16s.
In Israel’s defense establishment, there is opposition to supplying F-35s to the Turkish Air Force. The opposition stems from Erdoğan’s harsh positions against Israel, particularly recently in the context of Turkey’s involvement in the Syrian arena. F-35s in Turkish service are not desirable for the Israeli Air Force.
In addition, in the U.S. Congress and in subcommittees there had previously been opposition to selling the advanced aircraft to Turkey, though it is unclear what results would have been reached had the matter come to a vote in the current composition of Congress in Washington.