The US Department of State has given the green light to sell a limited package for upgrading F-16 fighters to Turkey. Local media quoted sources saying that the department may issue an official notification within a day after the unofficial approval by the relevant congressional committees. The Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees have given their unofficial consent.

With the approval of Congress, this will pave the way for the largest sale of military equipment to Turkey in years. According to the same sources, the concerned parties did not provide an exact number, but they mentioned that the package is worth millions of dollars and includes radars and aircraft electronics. They indicated that the deal, which includes sales and upgrades of F-16s worth $20 billion requested by Ankara from Washington in October 2021, is still on the table, and its non-implementation is due to the ongoing opposition in Congress.

The Biden administration, on the other hand, supports Turkey's modernization efforts. The US State Department spokesman stated that "the United States and Turkey share deep defense and security relations" and said, "Turkey's continued operations in harmony with NATO are of utmost importance and remain a priority." He added that President Joe Biden's administration supports Turkey's efforts to modernize its fleet.

In the same context, an American source pointed out that due to Turkey's approval of Finland's membership in NATO and the rapprochement process with Greece, the Biden administration asked Congress members to "send a positive signal to Ankara" and approve the package. "But this does not mean a green light for a large package," indicating that there are controversial issues between the two countries, including the need to ease tensions with Greece, withdraw from northern Syria, and participate in sanctions against Russia, all of which Turkey has not fully responded to.

The Turkish government news agency Anadolu reported that the package "consists of upgrade sets for the Tactical Data Link (TDL) system, Link-16, also known as the Multifunctional Information Distribution System, to update the communication capabilities of the current F-16 warplanes in Turkey."

follow us in google news

Tobacco use declining in 150 countries: WHO

Local news

Dubai Chambers to organise 'Dubai Business Forum – China' in Beijing in August

Economy

Muslim Council of Elders Pavilion seminar at ADIBF 2024 highlights UAE

Local news