Kathimerini Greece Newsroom
By Vassilis Nedos
Since Donald Trump's return to the White House, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been working to take advantage of his direct personal relationship with the U.S. president.
Part of the ongoing negotiations over Turkey's possible return to the fifth-generation F-35 fighter program includes renewed discussions about selling General Electric engines for Turkey's domestically designed KAAN fighter jet. Trump has become directly involved in those talks. Since returning to office, he has remained in close contact with Erdoğan as Turkey pushes to rejoin the F-35 program.
Based on the progress of the negotiations, which have been helped by U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, Turkey's return to the F-35 program still appears highly unlikely. The biggest obstacle is Ankara's continued possession of the Russian-made S-400 missile system, which triggers sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). For Turkey to regain access to the F-35 program, it would have to give up the S-400s, either by returning them or transferring them to another country.
Both the Trump and Erdoğan teams are looking for a solution as quickly as possible, ideally before the NATO summit in Ankara, where the two leaders are expected to meet.
Trump's position
Trump appears to agree with Turkey's view of the issue. Just two days ago, when asked whether he planned to approve the transfer of military systems to Turkey, including either engines for the KAAN or F-35 fighter jets, he answered yes.
"People don't realize how important Turkey is from a military standpoint," Trump said. "It has a very strong army. It has a great deal of American equipment and an enormous defense industrial base."
When asked what would need to happen before F-35s could be released to Turkey, Trump referred the question to Vice President J.D. Vance.
"Pete (Hegseth) and the entire team are looking at this right now because there are certain conditions we have to make sure are met in order to comply with U.S. law," Vance said. "The president has instructed us to do that, and we're in the process of confirming those conditions have been satisfied."
Any agreement would still require congressional approval. Trump also knows that the political landscape on Capitol Hill could become much more difficult for his administration after the November midterm elections.
Athens' perspective
For Greece, Turkey's return to the F-35 program would restore a more even balance of air power in the Aegean. Even so, Turkey's first F-35s would not be delivered until at least five years after the Hellenic Air Force receives its own aircraft.
Turkey is also investing heavily in the KAAN program, although the aircraft's capabilities remain largely unproven at this stage. Even so, the project would strengthen the country's domestic defense industry. If Trump's plans ultimately become reality, Turkey would eventually operate fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
During the Biden administration, Ankara pursued a compromise by proposing a major package that included the purchase of 40 new F-16 Block 70 fighters, valued at up to $23 billion, along with upgrades for 79 older Turkish F-16s to the Block 70 configuration. That program still appears to be moving forward, although analysts believe Turkey will spend less than the projected maximum cost.
At the same time, Turkey continues to invest in the KAAN and several other defense projects. One example is the Kizilelma loyal wingman unmanned combat aircraft, which was recently tested in Thrace in cooperation with Italy using an M-346 trainer aircraft. These efforts reflect Ankara's goal of expanding the technological and industrial capabilities of its defense sector.
