US State Department, Senate Committee approve F-16 sale to Türkiye
Ben Cardin, chair of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, approves sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye, and State Department also approves sale of aircraft to Ankara for an estimated cost of $23 billion.
An F-16 combat jet aircraft of the Turkish airforce takes off at the Air Defender Exercise 2023 in the military airport of Jagel, northern Germany.
The US State Department has approved the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets and related equipment to Türkiye in a deal valued at an estimated $23billion, the Pentagon said, after Ankara approved Sweden's accession to NATO.
The Pentagon said late on Friday that Lockheed Martin was the principal contractor.
Earlier, US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin said that he is in favour of the proposed sale of F-16 aircraft to Türkiye after Ankara approved Sweden's accession to NATO.
"I commend the Turkish Parliament for its important vote in favour of approving Sweden’s NATO accession protocol, and President Erdogan for signing it," US Senator Ben Cardin said in a statement on Friday.
"My approval of Türkiye's request to purchase F-16 aircrafts has been contingent on Turkish approval of Sweden’s NATO membership."
Cardin's decision came days after US President Joe Biden dispatched a letter to top Senate and House lawmakers, urging "Congress to proceed with the F-16 sale" to Türkiye "without delay."
Biden's letter welcomed "the Turkish parliament's ratification of Sweden's NATO accession protocols" and informed the chairs and ranking members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee that the Biden administration "intends to formally notify Congress of the sale of F-16s to Türkiye as soon as this process is complete."
The Turkish parliament overwhelmingly ratified Sweden's NATO membership in a 287 to 55 vote on Tuesday. Hungary is now the only NATO member state that has not signed off on Sweden's entry into the alliance.
Finland and Sweden — both Nordic countries close to or bordering Russia — applied for NATO membership soon after Russia launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022.
Finland became NATO's 31st ally in April 2023 following approval from all of the alliance's legislatures.
Sale request made in 2021
Türkiye submitted a letter of request in October 2021 to purchase 40 F-16 Block 70 fighter jets and 79 modernisation kits from the US.
The Biden administration informally notified Congress of the sale last January, and a tiered review process was initiated to start negotiations with Congress.
Key lawmakers in Congress have tied the F-16 sale to Türkiye's approval of Sweden's NATO accession bid.
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