Turkey To Buy Additional F-35 JSF Aircraft

Turkey is expected to order a second pair of jointly-made, next-generation, stealth F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II aircraft to be delivered by 2016. The first pair of the jets are expected to be delivered in 2015. Turkey may use the funds from its Defense Industry Support Fund to purchase a second pair of aircraft. Led by the U.S.-based company, Lockheed Martin, the F-35 consortium also includes companies from Turkey, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Norway and Denmark contributing to the plane’s production. “We are planning to use funds from our Defense Industry Support Fund for the first four aircraft. Two are set for delivery in 2015, and another two for 2016. Later, we will be expecting the creation of a special fund to finance the rest of the program", the procurement official said. In 2006, the United States warned that excessive concurrency in F-35 production and testing might result in expensive refits for several hundred aircraft planned to be produced before the completion of tests, bringing the unit price to over $150 million. It is expected that Turkey may buy around 100 F-35s which may rise up to 120 in the future. The Turkish Aerospace Industries, or TAI, and several other Turkish companies have grabbed contracts to produce more-than-$5 billion worth of the aircraft’s parts. Despite its huge price tag, the F-35 is considered to be a cheaper option than its contemporary solutions.