Newsletters
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler stated that Türkiye still considers using the Russian S-400 air defense system in a stand-alone configuration, without NATO integration, as "the most reasonable solution" to the impasse blocking its reinstatement in the F-35 fighter jet program.
Speaking to Turkish media outlet Posta newspaper's Hakan Celik on Friday, Guler noted that Ankara had informed its American counterparts of the stand-alone usage concept after procuring the S-400 system to meet national air defense needs.
Breaking News, Direct to You.
Follow Türkiye Today on WhatsApp
for real-time updates and key insights from Türkiye and beyond.
"We still evaluate this idea as the most reasonable solution," Guler said, adding that negotiations with U.S. authorities on the F-35 continued.
"We emphasize at every opportunity that having F-35s in the Turkish Armed Forces inventory would contribute not only to our country's security but also to NATO and the stability of our region," he stated.
Washington imposed CAATSA sanctions on Türkiye in 2020 and removed the country from the F-35 program in 2019 over its acquisition of the Russian system, arguing it would endanger the stealth jets. Türkiye has called the suspension unjust and illegal.
Regarding the F-35's technological structure, Guler said that debates around "operational dependency" were being closely monitored.
"Türkiye will not accept any dependency on any platform that would limit its own decision-making authority and operational flexibility," he added.
He noted that Greece and Israel, both F-35 operators, opposed Türkiye's acquisition, and that objections continued in the U.S. Congress.
Turkish Defense Minister stated that Ankara's fighter jet procurement approach was not limited to a single project but part of a comprehensive plan to ensure the continuity, deterrence and strategic autonomy of its air power.
"The F-16 process has been evaluated as a complementary step for managing the transition period, and the process has reached a certain stage," Guler said.
"Contacts for Eurofighter Typhoon procurement are also being maintained as part of multilayered and flexible planning," he added.
"Our country's fundamental and strategic priority is the KAAN project, developed with domestic and national capabilities. Türkiye aims to permanently eliminate dependence on external sources in air power, and KAAN constitutes the main pillar of this objective," he noted.
Guler highlighted that Türkiye was accelerating domestic defense projects to minimize external dependency, listing the Korkut, Hisar-A, Hisar-O and SIPER air defense systems alongside the ANKA-3, Kizilelma, HURJET and KAAN as platforms nearing entry into the armed forces inventory.
On Türkiye's Steel Dome integrated air defense project, Guler described it as a national security umbrella designed to protect all of Turkish airspace against threats "from very low altitudes to the highest and from very short range to long range."
"We can characterize the Steel Dome as the pinnacle that our national air and missile defense systems will reach," Guler said.
"Delivery is projected between 2026 and 2029, with active development continuing," he noted.
Asked whether Türkiye might pursue nuclear weapons amid rising global threats, Guler noted Ankara's commitments to the Non-Proliferation Treaty since 1979 and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty ratified in 2000.
"We consider the subject of nuclear weapons to be an extremely sensitive and multilayered security matter," he said.
"Our fundamental priority is to guarantee our security through strong conventional capabilities, advanced technology investments and an effective deterrence posture," Guler stated.
He concluded by stating that Türkiye shaped its defense planning on the basis of long-term strategic foresight while closely monitoring the rapidly changing global security environment.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
4 min read
