WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has notified Turkey that it is canceling its purchase of F-35 fighter jets if the Turkish government goes ahead with the purchase of a Russian missile defense system.

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has sent a letter notifying Turkey that all training of Turkish pilots will also end as of July 31. And all Turkish personnel connected to the F-35 program must leave the country by the end of that month.

Shanahan’s letter to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Aka also says Turkey won’t be allowed to take final delivery of the four F-35s it bought.

The letter is the latest in an ongoing dispute over Turkey’s decision to buy the Russian-made S-400 system. The U.S. has repeatedly warned Ankara that the Russian system is considered a threat to the F-35.

READ MORE: Turkey doesn’t have to choose between U.S. and Russia, foreign minister says </s> The US Pentagon has notified Turkey that it is cancelling its purchase of F-35 fighter jets if the Turkish government goes ahead with the purchase of a Russia's S-400 missile defence system.

Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has sent a letter notifying Turkey that all training of Turkish pilots will also end as of July 31. And all Turkish personnel connected to the F-35 programme must leave the country by the end of that month.

Shanahan's letter explicitly states there will be "no new F-35 training". It says there were 34 students scheduled for F-35 training later this year.

"This training will not occur because we are suspending Turkey from the F-35 programme; there are no longer requirements to gain proficiencies on the systems," according to an attachment to the letter that is titled, "Unwinding Turkey's Participation in the F-35 Program."

In his letter, Shanahan also warned Ankara that its deal with Moscow risked undermining its ties to NATO, hurting the Turkish economy and creating over-dependence on Russia.

"You still have the option to change course on the S-400," Shanahan wrote.

The two NATO allies have sparred publicly for months over Turkey's order for Russia's S-400 air defence system, which Washington says poses a threat to the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealthy fighters, which Turkey also plans to buy.

The United States has said Turkey cannot have both, but had avoided taking steps to curtail or halt planned training of Turkish pilots in the programme, a reprisal that could be seen as an embarrassment in Turkey.

Russia: 'Everything is on track with the Turks'

The announcement came as the head of Russia's state-owned conglomerate Rostec said Moscow would begin delivering the S-400 air defence systems to Turkey.

190604063857003

"Everything is on track with the Turks. I hope that we will begin to deliver in about two months," Sergei Chemezov told NTV channel, according to Russian news agencies on Friday.



"The credit money has been spent, the technology was produced. And we completed training of all the military personnel," he said.

If Turkey were removed from the F-35 programme, it would be one of the most significant ruptures in recent history in the relationship between the two allies, experts said.

Turkish officials have not immediately commented on the Pentagon's letter.

Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday it was "out of the question" for Turkey to back away from its deal with Moscow.

Erdogan said the US had not "given us an offer as good as the S-400s".

The Turkish lira declined as much as 1.5 percent on Friday before recovering some losses. The currency has shed nearly 10 percent of its value against the dollar this year in part on fraying diplomatic ties and the risk of US sanctions if Turkey accepts delivery of the S-400s.

'Graceful wind-down'

Turkey is one of the core partners in the F-35 programme and expressed an interest in buying 100 of the fighters, which would have a total value of nine billion dollars at current prices.

Turkish companies produce some 937 parts of the F-35, largely for the aircraft's landing gear and centre fuselage, the Pentagon says. The US is now planning to move that production elsewhere, ending Turkey's manufacturing role by early next year.

The Pentagon believes that it can minimise the effects on the broader programme if Turkey abides by the US timeline.

"What we are doing is working to do a very disciplined and graceful wind-down," Ellen Lord, an undersecretary of defence, told reporters at the Pentagon.

But if Turkey were removed from the F-35 programme, the ramifications would be felt far beyond the Turkish air force.

Strains in ties between the US and Ankara already extend beyond the F-35 to include conflicting strategy in Syria, Iran sanctions and the detention of US consular staff in Turkey. </s> ISTANBUL — The first shipment of a sophisticated Russian surface-to-air missile system arrived in Turkey on Friday, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced, a process that is expected to incur United States sanctions and will test the NATO alliance.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been insistent in his determination to purchase the S-400 system, Russia’s most advanced antiaircraft weaponry, despite warnings from the United States. Washington has warned that the deal will lead to economic penalties against Turkey, a fellow NATO member, and cancellation of Turkey’s purchase of American F-35 fighter jets.

The United States has been unyielding in its opposition to Turkey’s acquisition of the S-400. American officials have argued that the missile system is incompatible with NATO equipment, and that having Turkey operating both the Russian weapons and the F-35 could give Russia access to the American jets’ secret stealth technology.

Mr. Erdogan has pursued the missile system despite American warnings and the damage that sanctions would do to his country’s already suffering economy. Speaking last month, he warned the United States not to risk a larger fissure in ties with Turkey over the missile system, and seemed optimistic that his country would not face any kind of financial penalty from the Americans. </s> The United States has given Turkey a deadline of July 31 to reverse its purchase of a Russian missile-defense system or face the loss of subcontracting work on the U.S.-led F-35 fighter jet project.

 

 Ellen Lord, U.S. undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, also told reporters on June 8 that Turkish pilots training in the United States on F-35 warplanes being sold to Ankara will be expelled if the missile deal is not called off.

 

 She said the deadline "will allow sufficient time for Turkish personnel associated with the F-35 program to be reassigned and depart the United States...to facilitate an orderly cessation of Turkish participation."

 

 Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan sent a letter to his Turkish counterpart that explained the measures to remove Turkey from the program unless Ankara changes course.

 

 Washington and its allies consider Russia’s S-400 missile system to be incompatible with NATO systems and a threat to the F-35 fighter jets.

 

 The United States has urged Ankara to back off its purchase of the system and has turned up the heat as its delivery date has neared.

 

 President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly said his country was "determined" to proceed with the Russia purchase, which he has long labeled a “done deal.”

 

 Turkey, a NATO ally of the United States, had already sent personnel to Russia to start training with the S-400. It also has at least two pilots training in the United States to fly the F-35 – of which Turkey has purchased 100 for its own military’s use.

 

 Turkey has spent billions to gear up its industry to participate in parts production related to the F-35s. Companies in the country make hundreds of parts for the warplane, largely for the aircraft's landing gear and center fuselage.

 

 Lord said Turkey's participation would be finished by early 2020 if it does not reverse the S-400 deal.

 

 "Turkey still has the option to change course," she said.

 

 "If Turkey does not accept delivery of the S-400, we will enable Turkey to return to normal," she said.

 

 The F-35s are designed to operate in sync and with NATO systems, including antimissile defenses, raising fears that Russia could adjust the S-400's capacities against the Western Alliance through information gathered in dealing with Turkey.

 

 U.S. officials have pressed Turkey to switch to the American-made Patriot air defense system, telling Ankara that would allow it to continue participation in the F-35 program.

 

 Erdogan said he told the United States that Ankara would consider buying Patriots only if Washington's conditions for a deal were as good as Moscow's offer.

 

 "But unfortunately we haven't received a positive proposal from the American side on the subject of Patriots like the S-400s from Russia," he said.

 

 Shanahan said he believed the U.S. offer for the Patriots was "very competitive."

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP </s> The White House confirmed Wednesday that Turkey would be excluded from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program after it purchased a Russian missile defense system in defiance of warnings from Western allies

Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 18th Jul, 2019 ) :The White House confirmed Wednesday that Turkey would be excluded from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program after it purchased a Russian missile defense system in defiance of warnings from Western allies.

"Unfortunately, Turkey's decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defense systems renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible," White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.

The US-made F-35 Joint Strike Fighter "cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities," she added.

Turkey's foreign ministry termed the move "unfair," saying in a statement that "this one-sided step neither complies with the spirit of alliance nor is it based on legitimate reasons." Grisham said that Washington had made "multiple" offers of its own Patriot missile defense system to Turkey, but Ankara went ahead and acquired the S-400, running counter to a NATO pledge to avoid adopting Russian systems.

"This will have detrimental impacts on Turkish interoperability with the Alliance," she said.

Grisham added that the United States "still greatly values" its strategic relationship with Ankara and would "continue to cooperate with Turkey extensively, mindful of constraints due to the presence of the S-400 system in Turkey." - Trump:'tough situation' - The announcement came five days after Turkey began taking delivery of the Russian missile system, shrugging off two years of warnings from the United States and other NATO allies that it could imperil their relationship.

The US action will lock out a number of Turkish manufacturers that were producing parts and components for the F-35, and block Turkey's plans to purchase about 100 of the advanced fighters.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump declined to criticize Turkey for the S-400 purchase, falsely charging that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was unfairly forced into the move by his White House predecessor Barack Obama.

"It's a very tough situation that they're in and it's a very tough situation that we've been placed in.

.. With all of that being said, we're working through it -- we'll see what happens," he said.

Trump rued the loss of the sale of up to 100 F-35s to Turkey, saying manufacturer Lockheed Martin would suffer.

"Because they have a system of missiles that's made in Russia, they're now prohibited from buying over 100 planes. I would say that Lockheed isn't exactly happy. That's a lot of jobs," Trump said.

- Turkish manufacturers dropped - At the Pentagon, officials said operations were already underway to move the production of around 900 parts Turkey was to provide for the F-35s to suppliers in the United States and other countries.

Turkish F-35 technicians and pilots training in the United States would also be sent back by the end of this month.

"Turkey's purchase of the S-400 is inconsistent with its commitments to NATO," said Under Secretary of Defense Ellen Lord.

"Turkey will certainly and regrettably lose jobs and future economic opportunities from this decision," she said.

Turkey had work commitments worth $1 billion to supply the F-35 program, and could have expected a total of $9 billion in orders over the life of the program, according to Lord.

In addition, the US Congress has required countries that make significant purchases of Russian defense equipment to be subjected to punitive sanctions.

The State Department said Wednesday that no decision has been made yet on sanctions over the S-400 deal.

- 'Still a strong ally' - David Trachtenberg, deputy undersecretary at the US Defense Department, repeated that Turkey remains a strong ally of the United States and would still join NATO exercises.

"We will continue to participate with Turkey in multilateral exercises to improve readiness and interoperability, including upcoming exercises in Georgia, Germany and Ukraine," he told reporters.

Asked if Turkey could be ejected from NATO after nearly seven decades as a member, he replied: "That's a decision for the NATO alliance... That's not for us here to decide." LOCKHEED MARTIN </s> Turkey will retaliate against the US if Washington blocks the supply of F-35 fighters to Ankara, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

Cavusoglu said that a proposal by US lawmakers to temporarily stop weapons sales, including F-35 jets, to Turkey was wrong, illogical and not fitting of the alliance between the NATO allies.

"Next week I will go on a visit to the United States. It's about the fact that the cancellation of the sale of the F-35 is not acceptable, and if it (the cancellation) happens, then they (the US) will receive an appropriate response from Turkey," Cavusoglu said.

READ MORE: US Senators Want to Block Sale of F-35 Fighters to Turkey — Reports

Recently, US Senator Lankford said that "Turkey's strategic decisions regrettably fall more and more out of line with, and at times in contrast to, US interests."

According to him, Ankara's geopolitical cooperation with Moscow and its decision to place an order for the advanced Russian S-400 missile defense system could complicate the F-35 purchase plan.

In December 2017, Russia and Turkey signed a loan agreement for the supply of S-400 systems to Ankara. According to a statement by the Turkish defense industry secretariat, Ankara acquires two batteries of this system, which will be operated and serviced by Turkish military personnel. </s> ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — NATO ally Turkey is being kicked out of the U.S.-led F-35 fighter jet program over its decision to buy the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.

The White House said Turkey's decision to buy the Russian system "renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible" while the Pentagon suspended Turkey from the program and said it will be removed as a partner in making the planes.

Here is a look at the rift between the NATO allies over the deal.

The Russian-made S-400 Triumph is a sophisticated long-range surface-to-air missile defense system capable of striking enemy aircraft and cruise missiles. It has a range of 400 kilometers (250 miles). The system can simultaneously engage multiple targets and is capable of shooting down ballistic missile warheads along with aircraft and cruise missiles.

Turkey reached a deal with Russia for the purchase of two batteries at a reported cost of $2.5 billion in December 2017. Erdogan has said the systems will both be operational by April 2020. Officials have refused to disclose where the systems will be deployed.

WHY IS NATO-MEMBER TURKEY BUYING THE RUSSIAN SYSTEM?

Turkey, which neighbors trouble spots such as Syria, Iraq and Iran, has long sought to address shortcomings concerning its air defenses. It says it was forced to negotiate with Russia for the purchase of the S-400s after the U.S. refused to sell the American-made Patriot system. Turkey has also argued that the S-400 is one of the best available systems and says the deal with Russia involves joint production and technology transfers which meet its long-term goals of defense self-sufficiency.

The United States says talks on a potential Patriot deal failed over Turkey's insistence on technology transfer rights that would have allowed it eventually to make the missiles themselves. This ran against U.S. manufacturer's propriety interests in addition to any national security concerns.

Turkey's rapprochement with Russia and its decision to buy the Russian system also coincides with growing Turkish mistrust of the U.S. over its policies in Syria. More specifically, Turkey has been angered with U.S. support for a Syrian Kurdish group in Syria that is affiliated with Kurdish rebels fighting Turkey.

Turkey also distrusts Washington because Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara says orchestrated a 2016 failed coup, remains free in the U.S. Gulen denies involvement in the coup attempt.

WHY DOES THE US OBJECT TO TURKEY'S S-400 PURCHASE?

The U.S. says the S-400s can't be integrated into the NATO system and pose a threat to the F-35 fighter jet program. Washington is concerned that system could be used to gather data on the capabilities of the F-35, and that the sensitive information could end up in Russian hands.

Turkey insists the U.S. fighter jets won't be compromised because the S-400 and F-35s will be deployed in separate locations and the S-400 will be under Turkish control. Turkey has also proposed the setting up of a joint working group to study how the S-400 system would interact with the fighter jets.

WHAT DOES TURKEY'S SUSPENSION FROM THE F-35 PROGRAM MEAN?

Pentagon's chief weapons buyer, Ellen Lord, told a news conference that the U.S. has suspended Turkey from the F-35 program and is beginning the process of its formal removal. The process of removing Turkey permanently is underway and should be completed by March 31, she said.

Lord said Turkey, which makes more than 900 components of the stealth aircraft, stands to lose $9 billion in future earnings as its parts supplier.

Washington has already suspended a program of F-35 flight training for Turkish student pilots and instructor pilots at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona and given those personnel a July 31 deadline to leave the U.S.

Separately, the U.S. has also warned that Turkey could face economic sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Previous U.S. sanctions on Turkey over its detention of an American pastor had caused a slide in the Turkish lira.

However, President Donald Trump, who has struck cordial relations with Erdogan, has taken a more conciliatory approach to Turkey, raising hopes in the country that it will avert harsh penalties. The U.S. State Department this week has been silent on whether those sanctions will be imposed.

Turkey says it is prepared for U.S. sanctions and can impose countermeasures of its own. Some media reports have said Turkey could launch an operation into northeast Syria in reaction to the U.S. sanctions.

HOW DOES THE DEAL AFFECT NATO?

Turkey has been a key member of the NATO alliance since it joined in 1952. It has the second-largest army in NATO after the U.S. and has been protecting the alliance's southeastern flank for years.

It is unprecedented for a NATO ally to purchase such advanced defense weaponry from Russia, which is considered to be NATO's main adversary. Turkey's deal with Russia has raised questions over whether the country is moving under Russia's influence and over its future membership.

However, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said Turkey's contributions to NATO and the alliance's cooperation with Ankara "is much broader" than the F-35 issue. He said: "I'm not underestimating the difficulty related to (the) S-400, but I'm saying that Turkey, as a NATO member, is much more than S-400."

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said the purchase "was not an option but rather a necessity" because of Turkey's security concerns. He stressed that there was no change in Turkey's "strategic orientation." </s> US to stop accepting Turkish pilots to train on F-35 jets over S-400 row: report

The delivery of the S-400 missile defense system to Turkey will begin within two months, the head of Russia's state-run defense company Rostec said Friday.

CEO Sergey Chemezov, speaking on the Russian NTV channel amid the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), said the delivery process of the S-400 system is proceeding as planned.

Chemezov said pre-payments have been received from Turkey on schedule and training has been completed.

"We will begin delivery of the S-400s to Turkey within two months," he said.

Turkey decided in 2017 to purchase the S-400 system following protracted efforts to purchase air defense systems from the U.S. with no success.

The S-400 missile defense system is Russia's most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system and can carry three types of missiles capable of destroying targets, including ballistic and cruise missiles.

The system can track and engage up to 300 targets at a time and has an altitude ceiling of 27 kilometers (17 miles).

With the purchase of the S-400s, Ankara aims to build Turkey's first long-range air and anti-missile defense system to guard against threats in the region. Moreover, Turkey seeks to build its own missile defense systems as the deal also involves the transfer of technology and know-how.

The S-400 system, which was introduced in 2007, is the new generation of Russian missile systems, and so far Russia has only sold them to China and India.

U.S. officials have advised Turkey to buy the Patriot missile system rather than the S-400 system from Moscow, arguing it is incompatible with NATO systems. Turkey has responded that it was the U.S.' refusal to sell it Patriots that led it to seek other sellers, adding Russia offered it a better deal, including technology transfers.

The two NATO allies have sparred publicly for months over the S-400s, which Washington says pose a threat to the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealthy fighters, which Turkey also plans to buy.

The United States says Turkey cannot have both, but had avoided taking steps to curtail or halt planned training of Turkish pilots in the program. </s> US removing Turkey from F-35 program after its Russian missile defense purchase

WASHINGTON: The United States said on Wednesday that it was removing Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program, a move that had been long threatened and expected after Ankara began accepting delivery of an advanced Russian missile defense system last week.

The first parts of the S-400 air defense system were flown to the Murted military air base northwest of Ankara on Friday, sealing Turkey’s deal with Russia, which Washington had struggled for months to prevent.

“The U.S. and other F-35 partners are aligned in this decision to suspend Turkey from the program and initiate the process to formally remove Turkey from the program,” said Ellen Lord, the under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment.

“The United States is spending between $500 and $600 million in non-recurring engineering in order to shift the supply chain,” she said.

Used by NATO and other U.S. allies, the F-35 stealth fighter jet is the world’s most advanced jet fighter. Washington is concerned that deploying the S-400 with the F-35 would allow Russia to gain too much inside information of the stealth system.

“The F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities,” the White House said in a statement earlier on Wednesday.

Washington has long said the acquisition may lead to Turkey’s expulsion from the F-35 program.

The Pentagon had already laid out a plan to remove Turkey from the program, including halting any new training for Turkish pilots on the advanced aircraft.

“The situation with Turkey is a government-to-government matter and we’ll comply with any guidance issued by the United States Government,” said a spokesperson for Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), the prime contractor on the jet.
The United States notifies Turkey that it will cancel Turkey's purchase of F-35 fighter jets if the government goes ahead with purchasing Russia's S-400 missile defense system.