Türkiye signs letter of offer for F-16 jets

WASHINGTON

The U.S. State Department announced on Friday that Türkiye has signed a letter of offer and acceptance to purchase F-16 fighter jets.

Speaking to reporters at a press briefing, U.S. State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said that the sale is an investment in NATO interoperability and will support the national security interests of the United States, Türkiye, and the NATO Alliance.

Türkiye submitted the request to acquire the jets in October 2021.

Earlier this year, U.S. President Joe Biden's administration approved the sale of jets to Türkiye, bringing an end to years of negotiations that had been a point of friction in the two NATO allies' relations.

"You may remember that getting this particular sale over the finish line took some time, and we’re glad to see it moving forward," Miller said.

Daily Hürriyet’s Ankara correspondent, Hande Fırat, stated that the letter includes technical details, such as quantity, materials, and prices, and said that Türkiye is currently looking into these details.

"Türkiye has accepted this letter but has not yet signed a contract. Accepting the letter is one thing, and signing a contract is another," Fırat stated, saying that Türkiye is expected to annotate some parts of the letter.

The previous day, U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Jeff Flake stated that a significant stride was taken regarding the sale of F-16 jets to Türkiye, without specifying the nature of the step.

“Today marks an important step forward in Türkiye’s purchase of the latest-generation F-16 Block 70 fighter jets and upgrades to its existing fleet of F-16s,” Flake said on a social media post on June 6.

The ambassador also expressed gratitude to the Turkish defense and foreign ministries for their efforts in the process.

In response to a question during the weekly briefing, Turkish defense ministry sources said the sale and modernization process continues in accordance with the established timeline.

Under the deal, Türkiye is set to receive 40 new F-16s and upgrades to 79 of its existing fleet.