Turkey may consider buying Russian Su-57s if the US Congress refuses to sell it F-16 fighters, the Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported on Monday.
Ankara requested from Washington 40 F-16 Block 70 fighters and 80 Block 70 upgrade kits for the F-16s already in Turkey's arsenal. If this request is not approved, Ankara will start looking for alternatives, including the Russian Su-57 jets.
The newspaper Milliyet does not rule out that the options for the purchase of aircrafts from France and the UK may also be considered. If the US Congress approves the deal on the F-16, the republic will have enough of these aircraft to meet its defense needs until Ankara puts into operation its own fighter TF-X, which has been under development since 2016, the newspaper adds.
Earlier it was reported that the US, trying to put pressure on Turkey after its purchase of S-400s from Russia, refused to supply the country with fifth-generation F-35 aircraft in 2019. Amid the problems with getting the F-35, Ankara said it wanted to buy more F-16 fighter planes from Washington as part of a relevant mechanism. On March 10, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during talks with US leader Joe Biden that Washington should lift unjust sanctions against Ankara in the defense industry, including the possibility of buying the planes.
Meanwhile, in mid-October last year, Ismail Demir, head of the Turkish Defense Industry Directorate, said that the republic was still willing to consider the possibility of buying Russian Su-35 and Su-57 aircrafts if Ankara failed to reach an agreement with Washington on the supply of American fighters.
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Based on materials from TASS