U.S. Considering Turkish Return to F-35 Program

U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly considering allowing Turkey to re-enter the F-35 fighter program, with informed sources having revealed to Fox News that such an agreement would involve the Turkish Air Force divesting its S-400 long range air defence system procured from Russia. The sources informed Fox that one arrangement could see the S-400 system disassembled, with another possibility being that it would be relocated to a U.S.-controlled military facility. According to the Turkish government’s readout of the recent call between President Trump and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish leader stated that it was necessarily to “finalise Türkiye’s re-participation in the F-35 program.” These reports follow a statement by Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler on November 26 revealing Ankara had formally resubmitted a request to purchase 40 F-35A fighters, and that he had informed a Planning and Budget Committee in the Turkish Parliament that Washington could reconsider selling the aircraft under the upcoming Donald Trump administration. He at the time claimed that U.S. officials had expressed openness to the possibility of supplying the aircraft.

In September 2024 it was reported that Turkey had made significant progress in talks with the United States on the details of plans to decommission its S-400 system, with the United States having reportedly submitted a detailed proposal during the summer. A face saving resolution is expected to see the S-400s transferred to American control, while the systems nevertheless remain on Turkish soil, with the U.S.-controlled sector of Incirlik Air Base considered a leading possible destination. This has raised a significant possibility of the U.S. and other NATO members gaining highly sensitive information on the S-400, which is heavily relied on by Russia and a number of its strategic partners such as Belarus and Algeria for the defence of their airspace.

Turkey’s procurement of the F-35 was previously seen to be favourable to U.S. and broader NATO interests to increase pressure on neighbouring Syria, with the overthrow of the Syrian government having been a key objective of alliance members since the the early years of the Obama administration. Turkish and Syrian forces have clashed multiple times since 2011, with both sides having shot down several of one another’s combat aircraft. The overthrow of the Syrian government by Turkish-backed Islamist insurgents in December 2024, however, allows Ankara to refocus on contributing to broader NATO security interests across a wider range of theatres. Turkey’s current fighter fleet is considered among the most obsolete in NATO, and is comprised entirely of Vietnam War era F-4 fighters and older variants of the F-16 which rely on ageing mechanically scanned array radars.