Turkey is taking advantage of the war in Ukraine to re-acquire advanced weapons systems in the West. “Turkey is an ally of NATO and will remain so. The war between our two partnerships, Ukraine and Russia, has created a new understanding of procurement ties with NATO companies, one of President Erdogan’s top advisers told Defense News.
In 2020, Turkey paid $ 2.5 billion for the Russian S-400 GNA system and angered the US and the West and in Ankara it was decided that the system would not be operational at this stage. In response, however, the United States canceled the sale of F-35 fighter jets.
Turkey is now trying to buy Western weapons again. These are 80 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets from the corporation Airbus, BAE and Leonardo. In the US, Turkey has ordered 70 F-16 fighter jets and upgrade kits for its 80 old F-16s.
The Biden administration has asked Congress to approve the deal.
Britain lifted the ban on selling arms to Turkey, and Canada may do so. Although European countries such as Spain, the Czech Republic, Finland and Sweden are still imposing arms embargoes on Turkey.
Experts say Ankara is trying to maintain a balance between the West and the US and Russia in defense procurement, but all indications are that it is returning to the Western arms market.