Türkiye restarts F-35 fighter jet negotiations with US while refusing to give up Russian S-400 missile system

[Foinikas]

I

Is Greece going to buy F35?

The first are supposed to be ready by 2028

 

[Pakistani Dragon]

I thought their KAAN 5th gen fighter program was progressing well, why would they need to circle back on F35 at this point? I doubt they can afford both platforms at the same time.

Because KAAN is not F-35.

 

[A1Kaid]

This is Turkiye's approach of deterrence. You do this when all around you is war and you have no nuclear bombs. There's a good chance that TAF becomes the most potent airforce between the US in the West and China in the East, hence, our Greek friend's concerned input....

Right now that would be Israel F-35I is the most superior platform operating in ME/Eastern Mediterranean.

 

[White Privilege]

They don't want any more S-400s. Any guesses why...

 

[Salza]

US may well now offer F35 to Turkey so that they give up on KAAN or atleast slow down the project. Why the hell US wants another 5th generation competitor in the market. Already China's J35/31 has started getting attention. US may have now assessed that KAAN project is in advance stage.

 

[Pak-Warrior]

Why Turkey wants F-35 if it's already going to product KAAN. ?

1) KAAN is still many years away, so Turkey would like to induct 5th gen platform in the meantime, so their enemies cannot get a definitive advantage in this time.

2) Their foes will receive F-35s, so getting F-35s in their own fleet will give them complete picture that how much capability this platform gives. So they will know what to expect if going against it.

3) The prime focus will remain KAAN, but imagine if they receive F-35 as well then they can test & compare their own product against one of the world's popular 5th gen combat aircraft. They will be able to see how capable F-35 is. In a way it can become benchmark in many ways to improve their own product.

4) If you already have one 5th gen fighter, it does not mean you cannot go for another. Its like same question if we already had F-16s then why went for JF-17s or J-10Cs. You can have some other platforms from same generation but their strengths could be different. One can be better strike platform, other can be better air superiority fighter etc

 

[Pak-Warrior]

You forgot the main city Karachi. India conquered Karachi.

and port of lahore too.

some dick in indian channel was telling they killed 700 soldiers in nur khan base and bodies disappeared as they turned into ash. Also that american nukes were in nur khan base lolz. Didn't had time to listen to more of that comic show.

 

[RajaBaja]

Because KAAN is not F-35.

Israeli leaders have been making statements that "Turkey should be next". I doubt it as it's a NATO member. But we all know how they treat Turkey. Turkey's weakest point is also its airforce with older F-16's.

KAAN needs build, test, integration and numbers. That's a 10 year road. Until then, the most sensible option is to get F-35 (which will indirectly aid KAAN) and upgrade F-16's from LM and locally.

 

[Pak-Warrior]

The first KAAN that flew wasn’t a prototype—it was a structural test airframe originally meant for ground testing, but it was flown purely as a political statement. India could have done the same with the engineering model of the AMCA.
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A prototype flies with all the necessary systems installed to test and validate each one. Flying just the bare structure isn’t a big achievement—it’s good for public optics, but anyone with even basic knowledge of aviation knows it doesn’t mean much.

How on earth you got audacity to compare your plastic model with KAAN ? The one that flew was a prototype. You donot fly a model. Flight test prototype is not meant for political show lol. You have to test flight characteristic, that means all of control bodies, the engine, thrust, everything is already worked upon. It's atleast 10 years ahead of india's plastic model. BTW, likely AMCA isn't going to fly in your lifetime. Even if it did, it will be too late for 5th gen platforms. Now these systems are advancing at rapid rate. China's 6th gen plaforms are already flying. By the time, india will induct it. It will be outdated to use it in combat just like Tejas. Tejas was inducted after 40 years from inception. It was absent from action in 2019. It was absent from action in 2025. India simply do not have confidence on it. That's because of the enormous delay that has made the machine obsolete at the time of its induction. Same is the pattern for AMCA.

 

[Pak-Warrior]

Israeli leaders have been making statements that "Turkey should be next". I doubt it as it's a NATO member. But we all know how they treat Turkey. Turkey's weakest point is also its airforce with older F-16's.

KAAN needs build, test, integration and numbers. That's a 10 year road. Until then, the most sensible option is to get F-35 (which will indirectly aid KAAN) and upgrade F-16's from LM and locally.

Very unlikely that Israel & Turkey will go against each other in armed conflict.

Turkey is concerned for Greek airforce. Greeks have F-35s on order already. In couple of years they might receive.

Turkey is already at disadvantage against Greek airforce as TuAF do not have any long range BVR. The aim120C-5 AMRAAMs are about 105 km range max. While Greeks have Meteors.

 

[Vishnu Hypersonic Cruise]

How on earth you got audacity to compare your plastic model with KAAN ? The one that flew was a prototype. You donot fly a model. Flight test prototype is not meant for political show lol. You have to test flight characteristic, that means all of control bodies, the engine, thrust, everything is already worked upon. It's atleast 10 years ahead of india's plastic model. BTW, likely AMCA isn't going to fly in your lifetime. Even if it did, it will be too late for 5th gen platforms. Now these systems are advancing at rapid rate. China's 6th gen plaforms are already flying. By the time, india will induct it. It will be outdated to use it in combat just like Tejas. Tejas was inducted after 40 years from inception. It was absent from action in 2019. It was absent from action in 2025. India simply do not have confidence on it. That's because of the enormous delay that has made the machine obsolete at the time of its induction. Same is the pattern for AMCA.

The full-scale model of the AMCA displayed by HAL is about 65% of the actual aircraft. HAL could have made it fly by installing engines and basic avionics—just like Turkey did with the KAAN model, which was originally intended for ground testing. But simply flying a structure doesn’t make it a prototype. Even a prototype takes 8 to 10 years to mature into a production-ready aircraft.

 

[gambit]

Personally, I believe the US should deny Turkey the F-35.

 

[A1Kaid]

Israeli leaders have been making statements that "Turkey should be next". I doubt it as it's a NATO member. But we all know how they treat Turkey. Turkey's weakest point is also its airforce with older F-16's.

KAAN needs build, test, integration and numbers. That's a 10 year road. Until then, the most sensible option is to get F-35 (which will indirectly aid KAAN) and upgrade F-16's from LM and locally.

Which Israeli leaders?

 

[Watandar]

Personally, I believe the US should deny Turkey the F-35.

Why ? What have Turks done now ? Or are you looking out for your proxy in Mideast ?

 

[Vishnu Hypersonic Cruise]

India co-produced Barak-8 with Israel while developing Akash, a pragmatic mix of self-reliance and foreign expertise.

Poland acquired Patriots while negotiating HIMARS purchases, a "hedge" strategy during transition periods.

South Korea deployed THAAD while developing its own system. THAAD was acquired despite Chinese backlash, prioritizing immediate defense over diplomatic friction.

Like China’s HQ-9 (derived from S-300 tech), Turkey’s SİPER may integrate lessons from S-400 operations and European systems

Akash is one layer of India’s multi-layered air defense system; it is not a substitute for the S-400 or Barak-8. Project Kusha is intended to be India’s equivalent of the S-500, which is why India is not procuring the S-500.