After Ankara voted yes to Sweden’s NATO membership, the US government has agreed to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. Both sides used the arms deal as a means of pressure in the dispute over Sweden’s inclusion in the alliance.
The US government has approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. The State Department in Washington said it had informed Congress of the decision.
Accordingly, Turkey is to receive 40 new F-16 fighter jets, as well as equipment to modernize 79 jets of the same type already in the possession of the Turkish military. The targeted arms deal is worth 23 billion US dollars, the equivalent of around 21 billion euros, as the responsible defense cooperation authority (DSCA) announced. “This proposed sale will serve U.S. foreign policy objectives and national security by improving the air capabilities and interoperability of a NATO ally that is a force for political and economic stability in Europe,” DSCA said in a statement .
Pressure in the dispute over Sweden’s NATO membership
Turkey has long been striving to modernize and expand its own fighter jet fleet. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also used the proposed sale by the USA as a means of pressure in the dispute over his government’s approval of Sweden’s NATO accession. US President Joe Biden has repeatedly emphasized in the past that approval of the deal was dependent on Turkey giving the green light for Sweden to become a new NATO member.
Sweden, like Finland, gave up its decades-long freedom from alliances after the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began in 2022 and applied for membership in NATO. Turkey agreed to Finland’s accession last spring, but Ankara blocked ratification of Sweden’s accession for more than a year.
It was only on Tuesday that the Turkish parliament voted to accept Sweden into the alliance, and ratification was completed on Thursday evening with Erdogan’s signature and publication in the Turkish government’s official gazette. Now Hungary, the last NATO member, has to agree to join.
Doubts due to suspected Human rights violationseat
In the past, several US congressmen had based their doubts about the arms deal on alleged human rights violations in Turkey. According to reports from the AP news agency, these objections have now been dispelled from US government circles.
Among other things, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the US Senate, Ben Cardin, had repeatedly cited this argument. Even after agreeing to the sale of the fighter jets, Cardin said he still had concerns about the human rights situation in Turkey. But he also agreed to the arms deal because the Turkish government had promised improvements in this area. “I look forward to beginning this new chapter in our relations with Turkey, expanding our NATO alliance, and working with our global allies to confront ongoing Russian aggression against its peaceful neighbors,” it said in a statement of the Democratic Senator.
One of most powerful Fighter jets worldwide
The F-16 fighter jet is one of the most powerful military jets in the world and is used in more than two dozen countries. The machines from the US company Lockheed Martin can be used both in air defense and against targets on the ground, i.e. to push back enemy units. The F-16 is capable of flying at extremely low altitudes and in all weather conditions.
In addition to the sale of F-16 fighter jets, the US government also approved a sale of F-35 fighter jets to Greece.