Turkey may buy Russian Su-35 instead of American F-16

The head of the Turkish defense industry department, Ismail Demir, said that the country may consider buying Russian Su-35 fighters if the deal to buy American F-16s fails.

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“One of the options could be the Su-35,” Demir said.

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Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with PBS that the country will be able to take care of itself even if it does not receive F-16 fighter jets from the United States.

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In October last year, Ankara asked Washington to buy 40 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets and nearly 80 components to modernize Turkish military aircraft.

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In July 2022, a senior official in the US presidential administration said that the United States supported Turkey’s proposal to purchase F-16 fighters, despite opposition in Congress.

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As a result, several rounds of negotiations on the F-16 took place in the summer. The State Department also confirmed contacts with Turkey on this issue, but no official agreement was signed.