Turkish move on China missile deal not final: official DUBAI (Reuters) - The head of the Turkish air force said on Saturday his country's decision to buy a $3.4 billion missile defense system from a Chinese company was not final, and could still change. General Akin Ozturk, commander of the Turkish Air Force, also said he did not see any linkage between Turkey's interest in buying F-35 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and the missile defense procurement process. Asked at a global gathering of air chiefs about U.S. concerns that the Chinese system would not be interoperable with those of NATO members, Ozturk said, "This is not the last position of Turkey. It may change. Ozturk told the Dubai International Air Chiefs Conference that he was not authorized to speak more broadly about Turkey's announcement in September that it planned to buy a missile defense system from a Chinese firm facing under U.S. sanctions. Ozturk told Reuters after his speech at the conference that he did not see any link between a pending decision on Turkey's participation in the F-35 fighter program, involving Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), and the missile procurement. He said Turkey was poised to decided in December or January whether to proceed with an initial purchase of two F-35 fighter jets, but the exact date had not been set. "I am very interested in the F-35," Ozturk told Reuters after his speech at the conference. We have enough money. U.S. arms makers Raytheon Co (RTN.N) and Lockheed are considering ways to sweeten their offer to build a Patriot missile defense system for Turkey, two sources familiar with the issue told Reuters earlier this week. <ID:L2N0IW1OW> One European defense official at the conference said Turkey's move had caught many NATO allies by surprise given concerns about the ability of the Chinese system to operate together with NATO members' missile defense systems. Turkish Defence Minister Ismet Yilmaz said last week Turkey had asked bidders for the missile defence system to extend the their bids and offer improved terms - in case talks with the Chinese firm failed. Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; editing by Ralph Boulton