Newsletters
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has formally notified Congress of its intention to sell dozens of General Electric F110 jet engines worth more than $700 million to Türkiye, a move widely seen as a gesture to Ankara ahead of the NATO summit, but analysts say it will not resolve the deeper dispute over the F-35 fighter jet program.
The State Department notification, dated June 24 and sent to Congress, stated: "The U.S. government is prepared to license the export of these items, having taken into account political, military, economic, human rights, and arms control considerations," according to a copy seen by Reuters.
Congress has 15 days to introduce a joint resolution of disapproval to block the sale.
Such a resolution would need to pass both chambers and could be vetoed by Trump, a scenario widely seen as highly unlikely.
The notification followed Trump's public signal during a White House meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Asked whether he would bring a "big gift" to Türkiye regarding jet engines and the F-35 program, Trump said: "He's a member of NATO. He really is a strong member of NATO. Yeah, I'm going to probably do something that's going to make him very happy."
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, speaking alongside Trump, said a review was underway on the F-35 question. "There are certain things that we have to certify have happened, that have happened to comply with American law," Vance said.
"This is really a congressional thing, ensuring that Türkiye has complied with American law so they can get the F-35s. We will announce that when the review is complete," he added.
Trump also linked his decision to attend the Ankara summit to Erdogan personally.
"If the summit was not taking place in Türkiye and being hosted by Erdogan, I don't think I would have gone to it," he said.
The F110 engines will power Türkiye's first indigenous combat jet, KAAN, a twin-engine stealth fighter developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and launched in 2016 as Türkiye seeks to join the small group of countries, including the U.S., China, and Russia, producing fifth-generation combat aircraft.
"It's likely to be the green light for the F110 GE engines for the KAAN fighter plane, about 40 of them," said Sinan Ulgen, director of the Istanbul-based Edam think tank, who spoke to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"Türkiye has produced a couple of prototypes that are flying with the F110 engine, but it has been waiting for the supply of additional engines to increase the number of KAAN platforms," he noted.
The F110 is assembled under license in Türkiye by TUSAS Engine Industries (TEI) but remains subject to U.S. export restrictions. Domestically produced engines, while the long-term goal, remain in the preliminary design phase, Defense Minister Yasar Guler said in September.
Turkish officials acknowledge that KAAN will take some time to replace the American-made F-16s that form the backbone of the country's air force.
Analysts said the engine deal is achievable but that the F-35 question faces far more significant obstacles.
"The CAATSA issue must be resolved. The U.S. needs to take steps both regarding the F-35 and the engines for KAAN. KAAN's engines are currently awaiting approval in the U.S. Congress," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in September, remarks that drew attention at home given Türkiye's stated goal of domestic-only production.
Türkiye's 2017 acquisition of Russia's S-400 missile defense system infuriated Washington, which expelled Türkiye from the F-35 program in 2019 and imposed CAATSA sanctions a year later.
Congress passed a law prohibiting F-35 sales to Türkiye as long as Ankara retains the S-400s, citing security risks the Russian systems could pose to American-made combat aircraft.
"For Congress to lift the CAATSA sanctions, Ankara would have to get rid of the S-400, but selling it to a third country would require Moscow's approval, and returning it to the Russians was not on the cards," said Professor Mustafa Aydin, an international relations expert at Istanbul's Kadir Has University who spoke to AFP.
Former U.S. envoy and State Department official Matthew Bryza said Trump could potentially act on the F-35 directly.
"President Trump can certainly declare that the S-400/F-35 dispute is finished. It's the CAATSA sanctions that require congressional action. Whether he can persuade Congress to do that depends on how much political capital he's willing to expend," Bryza said, noting it could be "politically costly in the lead-up to the midterm elections" given Türkiye's opponents in the Greek and Armenian diaspora.
Only Indonesia has placed an order for the KAAN so far, signing a $10 billion contract for 48 fighters.
Ulgen said the NATO summit could generate further interest, particularly following the collapse of the Franco-German FCAS initiative in June.
"Looking at the failure of the German-French FCAS initiative, there may be some interest. Spain could potentially become a partner and there may be interest from the Gulf as well. But there are more obstacles to be overcome for it to become a credible offer on the international stage," Ulgen said.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
1 min read
