Turkey bags $259 million F-16 equipment deal with US

Washington: President Joe Biden’s administration has notified the Congress of its plan to sell avionics software upgrades for its current fleet of F-16 fighter aircraft to Turkey. The deal, which is worth $259 million, comes after an informal by US congressional committee and has moved ahead with the sale of the modernization package for Turkey’s aircraft. Turkey’s request for a larger agreement which includes the sale of billions of dollars worth of F-16s still remains in limbo amid continuing opposition in Congress.

If it is cleared by Congress during the formal approval process, the package would be the first major military sale to Turkey that Congress has approved for years.

“Türkiye is a longstanding and valued NATO ally,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. “The Biden Administration supports Türkiye’s efforts to bring the avionics of its F-16 fleet up to standard.”

Turkey, a NATO member, says that the deal will facilitate the country in establishing improved interoperability between Turkish and NATO systems. It will update its communications and also provide upgrades to enhance safety measures such as a ground collision avoidance system.

The F-16 modernization deal follows Turkey approving Finland’s accession to the NATO military alliance and signs of easing tensions between Turkey and neighbor Greece ahead of Turkish elections next month.

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Lockheed Martin Corp has bagged the deal as the principal contractor.

The package is separate from the proposed $20 billion sale of new Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernization kits that Turkey requested in October 2021.

The smaller package was approved after the administration pushed the lawmakers to approve it to send a “positive signal” to Ankara, according to one source familiar with the deal.

The approval does not mean the bigger sale will receive a green light from Congress as US lawmakers are seeking assurances from Turkey on issues that go beyond the Nordic NATO expansion.

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