In the absence of objections from the US Congress within a review period of 15 days to the sale of F16 fighter jets to Turkey, the sale is now considered final following months of negotiations, according to Defense Mirror.
The US government on January 26 approved a $23 billion deal to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey after Ankara ratified Sweden’s NATO membership.
As required by US law, the State Department notified Congress of the agreement the same day. Congress had 15 days to register objections to the sale, with a deadline of February 10.
The sale, which encompasses not only the fighter jets but also a variety of munitions and military equipment intended for Turkey’s modernization of its army, can now move forward under the US Arms Export Control Act (AECA).
US Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake on Sunday expressed satisfaction with the conclusion of the sale on X, saying, “Congress’s decision this week to approve Turkiye’s acquisition of 40 new and 79 upgraded F-16 aircraft is a great step forward. Turkiye’s F-16 fleet is critical to NATO’s strength, ensuring future interoperability among Allies.”
The only objection to the sale was raised by Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who in a joint resolution sought to halt the proposed sale of F-16 fighter jets and other defense articles to Turkey. Raul’s objection was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, however, no action was taken on his proposal.
Turkey’s aging air force has suffered from Ankara’s expulsion from the US-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program in response to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s decision to acquire Russia’s S-400 defense system, which NATO viewed as an operational security threat.
Turkey in October 2021 sought to buy 40 Lockheed Martin Corp. F-16 fighter jets and 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes. Technical talks between the two sides were concluded long ago, but the sale did not take place until recently due to objections from some US lawmakers who had concerns about issues including Turkey’s resistance to the ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership, human rights abuses and Turkish overflights of Greek airspace.