US snaps up would-be Turkish F-35As
Eight F-35A fighter aircraft that were originally destined for Turkey have been ‘repositioned’ for the USAF, under a 20 July DoD contract award to Lockheed Martin.
Turkey had intended to buy 100 F-35s but the country was expelled from the programme in 2019 for acquiring the S-400 missile system from Russia.
Additionally, the DoD ordered Lockheed Martin to provide ‘recurring engineering in support of the modification of the eight Lot 14 F-35A Lightning II repositioned aircraft to a fully operationally capable F-35A Air Force configuration’.
The $861.73 million contract modification will also see the USAF procure six other Lot 14 production F-35As.
Work is to be completed by May 2026.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability moves ahead with development contracts
The Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) programme is a transnational effort across NATO to replace a range of helicopters which are expected to begin retiring from the mid-2030s.
-
Boeing to upgrade software for KC-46A tanker
The KC-46A upgrades will improve the platform’s mission readiness, performance in challenged airspace and rapid deployment capabilities.
-
Teledyne FLIR promotes ITAR-free Star SAFIRE imaging payload at FIA
The Ultraforce 380-HDc, launched at Farnborough International Airshow, builds on Teledyne FLIR’s successful Star SAFIRE family of systems and is aimed at both the military and security markets.
-
Dutch and Austrian governments collaborate on Embraer C-390 acquisition at Farnborough
The two nations will split the acquisition of the C-390s to boost their airlift capacities.