Turkey gets first F-35 delivery from US
The US delivered its first shipment of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey on 21 June, despite tensions with the country and US lawmakers’ opposition.
American defence giant Lockheed Martin officially transferred possession of the first plane, designed to evade even the most advanced radars, to Turkish officials during a ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas.
A second plane is due to be delivered in the coming days and the two aircraft will be brought ‘at a later date’ to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, where Turkish pilots and maintenance crews are receiving training, said Lieutenant Colonel Mike Andrews, a Pentagon spokesman.
US senators have opposed the delivery in light of Ankara’s plans to purchase Russian S-400 missile defence systems.
In a defence budget bill approved on 19 June, the Senate demanded that F-35 sales be scrapped if Turkey goes ahead with the Russian purchase.
The text reads: ‘Any effort by the government of the Republic of Turkey to further enhance their relationship with Russia will degrade the general security of the NATO alliance, and NATO member countries, and degrade interoperability of the alliance.’
If both chambers of the US Congress approve that version of the bill, US President Donald Trump’s administration will be obliged to exclude Turkey from the F-35 programme, remove from the aircraft all parts made in Turkey and ban the Turkish F-35s from leaving US territory.
Turkey has been a partner in the international consortium that financed the F-35 since 2002.
A US defence official stressed that ‘after aircraft production, the US government maintains custody of the aircraft until custody is transferred to the partner.’
The official added: ‘This normally occurs after the lengthy process of foreign partner training is complete (one-two years).’
Ties between the two NATO allies have been strained since Turkey launched an offensive against Kurdish militia in northeastern Syia – the People’s Protection Units – that the US backs to fight the Islamic State group but which Ankara considers a terror group.
Launched in the early 1990s, the F-35 is considered the most expensive weapons system in US history, with an estimated cost of around $400 billion and a goal to produce 2,500 aircraft in the coming years.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Eurosatory 2026: Partnership deals surge as industry prepares for defence spending growth]()
Eurosatory 2026: Partnership deals surge as industry prepares for defence spending growth
Dozens of partnership agreements, joint ventures and industrial cooperation arrangements were announced at Eurosatory 2026, highlighting how defence companies are expanding production capacity, localising manufacturing and accelerating capability development in anticipation of rising defence spending.
-
![Eurosatory 2026: New public security needs drive personal protection equipment modernisation]()
Eurosatory 2026: New public security needs drive personal protection equipment modernisation
European law enforcement and public security agencies are entering a new cycle of investment in personal protection equipment (PPE), driven by evolving threat profiles, officer welfare requirements and advances in materials technology.
-
![The speed of relevance: how companies can navigate the new era of European defence procurement]()
The speed of relevance: how companies can navigate the new era of European defence procurement
European militaries face a rapidly evolving security landscape and defence production must accelerate to meet surging demand for platforms and equipment. Industry needs to adapt to ensure it gets its products into the hands of the end user, Evelyn Rafferty, Senior Director Aerospace and Defence - Europe at Plexus told Shephard’s Gerrard Cowan.
-
![Eurosatory 2026: Milrem Robotics puts forward multi-layered defence concept for NATO’s eastern flank]()
Eurosatory 2026: Milrem Robotics puts forward multi-layered defence concept for NATO’s eastern flank
Autonomous systems developer Milrem has evolved a model for an interoperable robotised approach to the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative (EFDI), showing how uncrewed systems could provide a multi-layered defence architecture in the air and on land along NATO’s eastern borders.
-
![Eurosatory 2026 to highlight changing defence and security priorities]()
Eurosatory 2026 to highlight changing defence and security priorities
Eurosatory 2026 will reflect a defence and security sector shaped by conflict, rising government spending, uncrewed systems, multidomain networks and growing demand for sovereign capabilities.
-
![Delays, departures and drama cloud UK defence programmes ahead of absent DIP]()
Delays, departures and drama cloud UK defence programmes ahead of absent DIP
The UK defence secretary’s departure suggests that the long-delayed Defence Investment Plan is unlikely to meet the funding demands of the armed forces, with consequences for procurement and the UK’s standing at a NATO summit weeks away.
