Image source: topwar.ru
Turkish leader Recep Erdogan once again saw the positive attitude of the US president towards the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Ankara. The Turkish leader announced possible shifts in the "protracted" deal at a press conference after meeting with Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20.
Recall that in 2007, Turkey signed a memorandum with the United States on participation in the program for the supply of fighter-bombers of the 5th generation F-35. According to the agreement, Ankara had to purchase 100 of these machines.
However, after Turkey bought the Russian S-400 air defense systems, the country was excluded from the aforementioned memorandum last spring. At the same time, the United States offered Ankara to purchase F-16 Block 70 fighters instead of the latest F-35.
Since then, Turkey has been seeking the supply of 40 of the aforementioned aircraft and 80 sets of Block 70 for the modernization of the F-16 already in service.
It is worth noting that the deal was seriously delayed. After all, last fall at the G20 summit in Rome, Erdogan also declared Biden's "positive" attitude regarding the supply of aircraft to Turkey. During the current G20 summit, the Turkish leader almost verbatim repeated his statement last year.
At the same time, Ankara is trying to "put pressure" on the American administration, stating that they are considering the possibility of purchasing other aircraft. For example, earlier in Erdogan's office it was reported that Turkey could purchase British Eurofighter Typhoon fighters as an alternative to the American F-16. Ankara is also showing considerable interest in our Su-35 and Su-57.
