Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirmed that Turkey has resumed technical-level discussions with the United States over the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, signaling a possible thaw in a years-long dispute. Speaking after the NATO summit in The Hague, Erdoğan stressed that Ankara has not abandoned its goal of acquiring the fifth-generation jets and is seeking either the delivery of six completed aircraft or reimbursement of the $1.4 billion already paid into the program.
“This issue is not closed. We have restarted meetings and expect a resolution,” Erdoğan said, following a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. He emphasized that while the F-35 discussions remain open, the S-400 air defense system dispute is settled from Turkey’s perspective and is no longer negotiable.
Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after it purchased Russia’s S-400 missile defense system. U.S. officials argued that the S-400 could compromise the F-35’s stealth technology and was incompatible with NATO systems. As a result, Washington imposed sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) and blocked delivery of the jets, despite Turkey already taking ownership of six completed aircraft stored in the United States.
Erdoğan reiterated his country’s demand: “We either get the jets we paid for, or we receive our money back.” He said Trump showed openness to Turkey’s arguments, but no final decision has been reached.
Turkey joined the F-35 program in 2002 as a Level 3 partner and planned to purchase up to 116 aircraft. Turkish defense companies produced over 900 components for the jet, and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) played a key role in manufacturing center fuselage sections. While Turkey continued supplying parts until 2022 to avoid disrupting the production line, all new contracts were halted.
The core dispute—Turkey’s S-400 purchase—remains a sticking point. Although the Russian-made system is currently not active, Erdoğan confirmed it can be operational within 12 hours. U.S. officials have floated possible compromises, such as placing the system under American technical control or transferring it to a third country, but Ankara has rejected such proposals. Erdoğan again blamed the crisis on the U.S. refusal to sell Patriot missile systems under terms favorable to Turkey.
With no breakthrough on the F-35 front, Turkey has diversified its defense strategy. Erdoğan confirmed that negotiations with the United Kingdom and Germany for Eurofighter Typhoon jets are ongoing and showing promise. Meanwhile, a $23 billion deal with the U.S. for F-16 Block 70 fighters and modernization kits was scaled back. Turkey has opted to domestically upgrade 79 of its older F-16s under the ÖZGÜR program, reducing the total deal value to roughly $6–7 billion.
Turkey is also advancing its indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet, KAAN, which completed its second flight in 2025. However, defense officials acknowledge that the platform is not yet a substitute for the F-35 in terms of capability.
Erdoğan used the NATO summit to reiterate Turkey’s commitment to the alliance. He announced that Ankara will increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 and called for the removal of political and technical obstacles to intra-alliance defense trade. Turkey, he noted, already exceeds NATO’s 2% GDP defense spending benchmark and is rapidly expanding its domestic defense sector, including unmanned systems and a national air defense network under the “Steel Dome” initiative.
While Turkey’s reentry into the F-35 program remains uncertain, Erdoğan’s comments suggest that Ankara is keeping the door open, provided the U.S. is willing to engage on both technical and political levels. For now, the six Turkish F-35s remain in American custody, and no timeline has been announced for pilot training or aircraft transfer.
