The Turkish defense ministry has received a draft offer and letter of acceptance regarding the modernization of existing F-16s in its fleet and the procurement of new fighter jets, the state-run Anadolu agency reported on Thursday.
The development was announced by Col. Zeki Aktürk, the ministry’s press and public relations consultant, during a press conference at the ministry on Thursday.
Aktürk said the ministry received the offer and the letter regarding their October 2021 request for the procurement of 40 new F-16 Block-70s as well as the modernization of the existing 79 F-16s in line with the needs of Turkish Air Force Command.
Ending months of negotiations, 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.
Turkey’s parliament ratified Sweden’s NATO membership on January 23 after more than a year of delays that upset Western efforts to show resolve in the face of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Meanwhile, journalist in exile Adem Yavuz Arslan claimed in a video released on his YouTube channel that according to the details announced by the US, the market value of what the US is providing in the deal is a “maximum of $7 billion.” Arslan said the deal, priced at $23 billion, has a “suspicious” and “unexplained” aspect that needs to be brought to light.
Yeni yayın;@RTErdogan medyası 7/24 #KAAN propagandası yapıyor fakat cevabı verilmeyen çok soru var.#F-16 anlaşmasının detayları 'acaba' dedirtiyor. ABD tarafının açıkladığı listenin ederi maksimum 8 Milyar $ ediyor.
23 Milyar $'ı kimse izah edemiyor?https://t.co/NjK2vVKpsm pic.twitter.com/1vCrD2bkF6
— ADEM YAVUZ ARSLAN (@ademyarslan) February 27, 2024